


All Things that Burn

by Valyria



Series: Kaiidth [3]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Kidnapping, Mind Control, Pon Farr, Pregnancy, Violence, Vulcan Kinkiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-07
Updated: 2013-01-20
Packaged: 2017-11-24 02:46:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 68,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/629444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valyria/pseuds/Valyria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six months into their first mission the Enterprise visits Omicron Ceti III with unexpected results for Spock and Uhura. Third in my S/U series. AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first few chapters of this fic are based upon 'This side of Paradise' an episode from season one of TOS. A lot of dialogue and scenes from it are reproduced here that obviously, I didn't write. I also refer to the ongoing comics a few times, but this isn't really canon with them.
> 
> Big thank you to Lamb's Ear for betaing this for me over christmas. Her suggestions have, as usual, improved the story a lot. All the typos are mine however. This story is complete so you can expect regular updates, I'm just tweaking as I post.
> 
> Finally - thank you to everyone who reviewed or pm'ed me over the course of my previous stories. The only reason I wrote this story was for you guys. I hope you enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first chapter is pretty dry but things get much more entertaining in chapter 2.

**All things that Burn**

**.**

**.**

**Spock**

Spock took a detailed scan with his tricorder, not truly expecting the instrument to locate any life forms. Four years previously Omicron Ceti III had been home to 150 Federation colonists, but shortly after their arrival on the planet all contact with them had been lost. A unique form of radiation, Berthold Rays, had been successfully identified by Federation scientists some 2.8 years after the colony had fallen silent and was suspected to be to blame.

The rays had proven to be highly destructive to living tissue. The radiation sickness Berthold Rays induced was particularly unpleasant. The flesh of the creature exposed to the rays slowly disintegrated until death. For a mammal the size of the average humanoid, just one standard week was sufficient to cause irreparable, fatal, tissue damage. Long range scientific scanners had shown that the planet of Omicron Ceti III was doused in the damaging rays. The Enterprise had been assigned to confirm the fate of the colony.

Spock's tricorder beeped, indicating a life-form reading. He looked down in muted surprise. The scan had detected humanoid life forms, a reading which should be impossible. Spock recalibrated the device. Most likely it had picked up the away team themselves. He set it to a more precise setting and ran the scan afresh.

Captain Kirk was looking around the abandoned colony wistfully. They had beamed down to an abandoned farm of some sort. There was a stable and a fenced paddock - but no animals of course - and a terran style homestead up ahead. James Kirk was from a rural area of Ohio on Earth. Perhaps the setting induced feelings of nostalgia in him. Lieutenant Sulu and Dr McCoy were likewise looking about the area in a reserved manner that Spock believed indicated sadness or some complicated human variant thereof.

'Another dream that failed.' Kirk said. 'There's nothing sadder. It took these people a year to make the trip from Earth. They came all that way and died.'

Despite his overly emotional tone, Spock could only agree with the Captain's sentiment. It was indeed unfortunate that 150 people had died in such a manner, that Berthold Rays had not been discovered slightly earlier.

His tricorder beeped again. It indicated a humanoid life-form a mere 3.9 meters from where he stood. The likelihood of it being a second misreading was exceedingly slim. Spock therefore turned to face in the direction indicated. A middle-aged Caucasian male in utilitarian coveralls stood nearby. Spock regarded him in great interest.

'Hardly that, sir.' The newcomer said in response to the Captain.

The Captain and Lieutenant Sulu spun, their hands on their phasers, but Dr. McCoy simply directed one of his customary scowling facial expressions at the man.

The stranger smiled. 'Welcome to Omicron Ceti Three! I'm Elias Sandoval.' he said.

Spock recognised the name from the information their briefing on the colony had contained. Evidently the colonists weren't all dead. He wondered how they could have survived for four years being bombarded with Berthold Rays. The means of that survival offered great scientific insight. The rest of the landing party seemed equally intrigued. It was with great curiosity they followed the man to his home for further conversation.

Mr Sandoval's explanations proved unenlightening and highly improbable however.

Spock's tricorder and the powerful scanners of the Enterprise had confirmed the presence of the deadly radiation, but all Mr Sandoval would say on the colonist's survival was highly implausible. He claimed their vegetarian diet and healthy lifestyle had kept them alive.

The statement was unquestionably incorrect.

Vegetarian diets did not render one immune to radiation. As a Vulcan in possession of a tricorder on a planet bathed in radiation, Spock was in a position to know. His tricroder clearly indicated that his body was showing the early signs of exposure to Barthold Rays. Since he had never knowingly consumed animal flesh and followed a strict regime of physical exercise, it therefore followed that vegetarianism and fitness were not the reasons the colonists were still alive.

Mr Sandoval then introduced them to the colony's Botanist's, Leila Kalomi. Spock was acquainted with the woman. She had worked in a civilian capacity as an assistant in the zenobiology department at Starfleet Academy some five years previously. Her presence did not surprise him - her name had appeared upon the colony manifests. She corroborated Sandoval's claims. Despite this, it was plain to Spock that the Captain, Dr McCoy and Lieutenant Sulu were just as sceptical as he.

The Captain had Dr McCoy begin running medical examinations upon the colonists whilst Spock and Lieutenant Sulu searched the immediate vicinity for any clues as to the real cause of the colonist's apparent immunity to Berthold Rays. The botanist decided to join him on his expedition. He was not opposed to her presence. He recalled her being competent as a laboratory assistant. Her expertise and knowledge of the native plant-life could prove useful if the colonists were truly unaware of what was keeping them alive, and if not, perhaps she would reveal something of the nature of their deception in conversation.

After walking some 1.7 km, taking extensive tri-corder scans and discussing the native flora with Ms Kalomi, Spock contacted the Captain upon his communicator to report his findings. They were quite intriguing. Kirk answered with his usual promptness.

' _Kirk here.'_

For all his faults, James Kirk did have excellent communicator etiquette. Spock took the time to remind himself of his Captain's favourable qualities whenever he encountered them. It was something Nyota had suggested. She found it aided her patience with the man. Spock was as yet undecided as to its effectiveness.

'Spock here, Captain.' he replied. 'There seems to be a total absence of life on the planet, with the exception of the colonists and various types of flora.'

' _Sulu made the same observation. Any explanations?'_  Kirk's voice was understandably curious and slightly wary.

'Not at the moment, sir. I am conducting various tests with the tricorder, but results are inconclusive.'

' _Very well, continue investigations. Kirk out.'_

Spock reattached his comm unit to his belt and headed towards the crops he could see to the north-east. His scanner had picked up on some interesting plant life approximately 420m in that direction. Ms Kalomi followed. During the 48.3 minutes he had spent in her company Spock had noted that she appeared to be much changed in comparison to the woman he recalled from the Academy.

As a laboratory assistant Ms Kalomi had been talkative and demonstrative in her interpersonal interactions. She had often shown interest in the cadets and their studies beyond the scope of her own work. She was also one of the first of the Academy staff to make any overtures of friendship towards him. He had found not found her company unpleasant. Over the course of the year she had been a staff colleague he had socialised with her on 5 separate occasions.

He recalled she had expressed sadness that her departure from the Academy would end such interactions. She had contacted him several times after her departure for the colony planet. Spock had observed that these missives ceased suddenly, but had not thought upon the matter further until the discovery of the Berthold Rays.

In comparison to his memories of her from their acquaintance Ms Kalomi was very quiet and… odd. She smiled constantly in an almost dazed manner. Spock admitted that he was hardly the most adept at judging human behaviour however. There could well be a perfectly logical explanation for the changes he had observed. He dismissed Ms Kalomi's behaviour from his thoughts.

The plants he'd picked up on his scan, whilst alien to him, proved unremarkable. A grass-like weed growing amidst the corn the colonists were cultivating. What was remarkable was the continuing lack of lifeforms. How was it that the humans had survived if nothing else on the planet had? Humans were hardly the hardiest of species to be found on an M class planet. He scanned one of the corn plants at his feet. Insects were often resistant to radiation. It was strange that he had not encountered even one surviving species. The ripening corn would be a source of sustenance tempting to them.

'Nothing. Not even insects.' he said in regards to his negative readings. He looked up at Ms Kalomi. 'And yet your plants grow and you have survived exposure to Berthold rays.'

The botanist was bizarrely at ease. Confident. Calm. Smiling in that strange manner.

'That can be explained.' she replied.

Spock raised himself to his feet and regarded her in interest. 'Please do.'

Instead of providing the information she promised, she said 'Later.'

'I have never understood the female tendency to avoid a direct answer to any question.' Spock remarked thinking of Nyota and his mother. Both prone to seemingly random bouts of frustrating obstinacy in conversation.

'And I never understood you.' Ms Kalomi remarked, walking towards him. 'Until now.' She was standing too close to him for his personal comfort. 'There was always a place in here,' she reached out and pressed a hand to his chest, where if he were human he would have a heart. Spock looked down at her hand in disbelief. '- where no one could come.'

Spock knew his face must have shown his shock. Ms Kalomi had never touched him during their casual acquaintance 5.6 standard years previously. Nor had he ever desired her to.

'There was only the face you allow people to see.' she continued. Spock took a step back from her so she was no longer touching him. 'Only one side you'd allow them to know.'

She was still smiling her strange smile. Spock found it increasingly unnerving. She appeared to be exhibiting signs of romantic interest in him and some sort of mental imbalance. He walked past her and tried to steer their conversation back to a more professional subject. He certainly did not wish to discuss the duality of his hybrid Vulcan/Human nature with Leila Kalomi. Not only were her stated opinions upon the matter highly emotional and illogical, it was hardly a subject she was well versed in.

'I would very much like to know how your people have managed to survive here Ms Kalomi.' he asked in a concise cool voice.

'I missed you.' she replied in a tone of voice Spock was not comfortable being directed at him by any woman save Nyota. He ignored her words. He did not know how to respond to them. His experience in rebuffing would-be romantic partners was limited. Exceedingly limited. Cool disinterest seemed the best option.

'Logically, you should all be dead.' He remarked as if she had not spoken.

'If I tell you how we survived, will you try to understand how we feel about our life here? About each other?' she said. Although he did not understand what she referred to, her remarks clearly inferred that the colonists knew precisely how they had survived the radiation.

'Emotions do not interest me. I am a scientist.' he replied, hoping his words would be hint enough for her to cease her odd discourse.

'Someone else might believe that.' she said. 'Your shipmates, your Captain, but not me. Come.'

Her words made him decidedly uncomfortable. It was inappropriate for her to speak of him in such a personal, overly familiar manner. She did not know him. Their acquaintance had been superficial. An experiment in human social interaction as far as he had been concerned. Spock wanted to leave, remove himself from her company, but she referred to the mystery of Omicron Ceti III. A short period of discomfort with an overly familiar woman was worth enduring if it provided an answer to the question of how the colonists had survived.

'Very well.' he replied.

Ms Kalomi gave him another of her too-wide smiles and pointed away from the crops and towards fields of pasture for non-existent animals. Spock nodded and fell into step beside her. She led him 1.3km from the field in a south-westerly direction. His tri-corder indicated nothing of particular interest in a 50km radius.

He found himself wary. Her behaviour was very odd. What if she had lured him away for some other purpose? Human females often made use of bizarre reasons as circumstance to be alone with males they were interested in. Spock had no desire to have to openly reject her if this was her intention. It would be exceedingly uncomfortable. He would almost prefer it if she simply intended violence against him.

Despite his attempts to calm his disquiet, he felt Nyota reach to him over their bond with concern. Wordless he reassured her that he was in no immediate danger, merely wary and uncomfortable. As was her custom, she accepted his reassurances and withdrew from him so as not to pose a distraction.

She turned back to face him. He had allowed himself to fall 3.2 meters behind her after she had attempted to hold his hand mid-way through their journey. 'It's not much further.' she informed him apparently sensing his disquiet.

Spock made no attempt to close the distance between them. 'You have not yet explained the nature of this thing you refer to.' he said.

'Its basic properties and elements are not important.' she claimed illogically. Obviously the basic properties and elements of something that could protect a humanoid from Berthold Rays would be vitally important. 'What's important is that it gives life, peace, love.' she concluded.

She appeared more and more deranged the longer he spent in her company. 'You are describing was once known in Terran vernacular as a 'happiness pill'. And you, as a scientist, should know that such a thing does not exist.' Spock pointed out.

She ignored him. 'Come.' She touched his arm. He shrugged her hand off. He wished she would stop trying to touch him. 'I was one of the first to find them. The spores.'

'Spores?' It was one of few logical things the woman had said during their conversation. A spore from one of the native plants that seemed to thrive in the radiation soaked atmosphere could perhaps have some sort of negating effect on that radiation if ingested or somehow absorbed by a human, but if that was true why had no animals -

\- One of the red flowering plants nearby violently shot out a cloud of pollen that settled over Spock's face and chest. He felt and tasted them in his mouth and nostrils. For a moment he was still, frozen in shock, and then he felt a sudden tearing pain deep in his mind. Reflexively he reached for Nyota. He felt her panic and fear reflected back to him even as he felt his thoughts slowing,  _changing._

It horrified him.

' _No.'_  the word dragged itself from his mouth without his permission. He realised he was on his knees in the grass, his hands pressed to his head. There was a terrible pressure in his mind. Like his thoughts were being crushed.

'It shouldn't hurt.' Leila Kalomi remarked in a voice soft with concern. As if he was mistaken. As if he could stop the pain he felt.

His thoughts shifted. He felt  _something_  in his mind. Like a mindmeld and yet nothing like one. It tore at his logic. His mental discipline. Reduced his mind and thoughts to their primitive base components.

'No, I can't. Please, don't!' he begged whatever it was that was inside his mind.

'Not like this. It didn't hurt us!' the botanist insisted.

'I am not like you!' Spock yelled at her.  _Stupid_  woman! For a moment he was angry at her, angry at her for her deceit, angry at her for touching him and speaking of him in a familiar manner, angry at her for whatever she had unleashed upon his mind and then… and then. The pain was gone.

Spock felt.

He felt.

Satisfied?

No.

Pleased?

… Partially he supposed.

No. That wasn't correct…

He felt…

Happiness.

Yes!

Full of… happiness!

Yes.  _Yes._  That was what this feeling was.

Happiness. A human emotion.

He had only ever experienced the muted Vulcan equivalent first hand, but he recognised it.

It was dizzy. Giddy. Familiar yet not. He had felt it before, but reflected in his mind or buzzing through his fingertips. It reminded him of something, something wonderful. Something happy. Something - no - some _one._

Someone? Who?

The answer appeared in his mind fully formed.

Nyota!

He reached for her. She was scared, afraid, she did not understand. He must share this with her. Share this wonderful feeling! He reached towards her through their bond with nothing held back, pouring his love for her, his  _happiness_  into her as if he could somehow pour himself into her. He smelt her perfume. Jasmine and Vanilla. The flowery scent of her shampoo that clung to her long dark hair.

Her soft  _beautiful_ hair.

He wanted to bury his face in the cool silky strands of it as he sometimes did when they lay together in his bed. Then twist it around his fist and pull her head to the side so he could press his face to that magical place between her neck and her shoulder that always smelt and tasted wonderfully of  _her._  Nyota.  _Dan'Vansurik_.  _(most-beautiful_ )

He called to her, shaping his thoughts into distinct shapes and sending them to her through their bond.  _/Nyota! Ashayam! You must come!/_

He felt her react to his call, his  _tel'esta_   _(bond-touch)._  Yes. She would come now. Beam down to the surface and he would share this wonderful thing with her. He would kiss her and love her and nothing would hurt anymore. Their bond flared into white soaring light as Nyota reached to him. She was in his arms, cool and soft and lovely with hair like silk where it brushed against his skin and the scent of flowers clinging to her. He inhaled deeply.

 _/Yes! Yes Spock I come!/_  she called within him. Her beautiful human voice was filled with joy. He heard her laughter before she withdrew once more. Their bond dimmed back to its normal state. A rope between them. A steady trickle of awareness in place of the rushing torrent of consciousness and thought that was  _tel'esta._  He could no longer sense her thoughts clearly, but he felt her happiness and her intent. She was coming.

Leila Kalomi's voice pulled him from his delirious reverie.

'Now.' She said, 'Now, you belong to all of us and we to you. There's no need to hide your inner face any longer. We understand.'

Yes. He felt them. They were there in that deep part of his brain where once he'd felt the lives of 6 billion Vulcans, his people, like the murmur of the wind. That background noise had been cut-off from him in a deafening chorus of fear and despair 6.7 months previously when Vulcan was destroyed, but now there was something there once more. It was a tiny breeze where once there had been a gale, but it was something. It filled that dark void. He could feel Leila Kalomi there. And many others beside.

Belonging, acceptance, love.

They understood him. They knew him. They were part of one whole.

Leila smiled at him. He smiled back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Nyota**

Nyota was on the bridge at her station when it happened. One moment she was listening to subspace chatter in one ear and Gaila's Doctor 'Dreamboat' McCoy related gossip in the other the next she was curled in a ball in her seat, her hands clutching at her head.

_Pain._

There was a terrible ripping, tearing pain in her head, unlike anything Nyota had ever felt before.

Gaila's eyes were wide and she had grabbed Nyota by the shoulder in concern. It felt like someone had taken a pick hammer to her skull.

'Ny!? Oh my god Ny are you okay?!' she asked. Her fingers were squeezing in Nyota's arm, shaking her slightly.

Nyota ignored her. It was Spock. The pain was coming from him. She felt him reach to her, then purposely withdraw, taking his pain with him.

She blinked, inhaled deeply. She was doubled over in her chair, her head in her hands. The shiny floor of the bridge gleamed between the toes of her boots. Around her was the usual noise of the bridge of the  _Enterprise_ , beeps and humming from various consoles and computers. It seemed louder than usual, missing the usual layer of muted conversation that overlaid everything. Nyota exhaled slowly and straightened.

The entire bridge crew was staring at her with varying degrees of shock, interest and concern. Nyota felt her face flush in embarrassment. Had she called out? Yelled?

Lieutenant Commander Scott, who was in command in the absence of Kirk and Spock, had spun the command chair to face her console.

'Lieutenant Uhura? Are you okay?' he asked in concern.

Nyota nodded simply because she didn't know what else to do in the situation. Before she could come to an appropriate course of action she felt the echo of agony from Spock suddenly and completely disappear.

What she felt from him next was far more shocking then pain. It shot through her and made her gasp like she'd just been doused in freezing water. Her heart struck up a rapid unsteady beat. She pressed her hand to her collarbone unconsciously.

It was… euphoria.

Spock was…  _giddy_ with it. Intoxicated with an intense happiness and joy on a level she'd  _never_  felt from him before. On a level she wasn't even sure Vulcans could experience. The kind of irrational complete happiness that usually required something stronger than alcohol… Obviously something had happened, he'd been hurt and then… drugged? She spun back to face her station.

'Lieutenant?' Scotty asked from behind her.

'A moment sir!' she replied vaguely, reaching across her console to punch in the Captain's comm frequency.

Jim Kirk wouldn't question her 'hunch' where Spock was concerned, he'd accept it as fact and ignore the source of it. He responded his comm on the first beep.  _'Kirk here.'_  Nyota had routed the audio through her headset only. No-one save Gaila sitting beside her at the console would know she was contacting the Captain.

She spoke quietly. 'Captain. Something has happened to Spock. I think he's been hurt and possibly drugged.'

' _What!? When did this happen?'_

'Just now sir.'

Spock reached for her again. And not the subtle mental contact that shared his general mood or emotions, but a distinct, strong  _tel'esta._

She froze in her chair, her body tensing as a wave of heat surged through her. Kirk was instantly forgotten. Sensation pulsed through her, spread from the centre of her chest out along her limbs to tingle in her fingers and toes. It was a stronger bond-touch than Spock had ever used upon her before, as if he'd held nothing back. For a moment she felt what he felt. That dizzy high. Then she was drowning in a great wave of  _love._  His love for her, warmer and softer and more human than she'd ever experienced it before. She felt his warm arms around her, smelt his cologne and the scent of his skin, felt the heat of his breath against her cheek and the ghost of his lips over her skin as he spoke.

 _/Nyota! Ashayam! You must come!/_  She could hear the smile in his voice. It was shocking. Spock never spoke in such a manner… And yet… she blinked, her thoughts slowing and thickening as a result of the bond-touch.

He sounded so happy. Why should that worry her? It was good surely?

The sheer  _joy_  she felt from him made her smile, then laugh. Instead of the usual heat and flare of desire she felt at his _tel'esta_  she was instead afflicted with a contact high. He wanted her to come to him. He wanted her to share whatever it was that had caused him such happiness.

Yes! She would go to him. They should not be apart. Such happiness, such  _bliss_  must be shared! She reached towards him. It required a lot of effort, to concentrate enough to communicate actual words instead of just vague feelings and emotions. She managed, just.

_/Yes! Yes Spock I come!/_

From him she felt happiness. Joy. Love. She withdrew from the  _tel'esta._

Gaila was saying something, Scotty was saying something. They both looked so  _worried._  Poor Gaila! Poor Scotty!

She hopped out of her seat and threw her earpiece down on the console. Gaila picked it up and looked her, still talking, sill looking worried. She needed to relax. Nyota patted her head. She had such pretty red hair… As she crossed the bridge towards the turbolift Nyota paused and gave Scotty a kiss on the cheek. He was such a  _sweet_  man. She liked him. She ruffled his hair. His head tilted on one side and he looked at her in confusion. His expression made her laugh.

Gaila grabbed her arm. Nyota took her hand in hers and swung her arm back and forth between them. She had to get to Spock, but maybe her friends could come too? She focused, translated a phrase from Swahili to standard. It was so  _hard_ to concentrate after a bond-touch.

'You should come!' she exclaimed. To Gaila. To Scotty, to everyone.

Gaila replied. Scotty replied. Nyota saw their mouths move and heard the noises coming out of them. She was couldn't understand their words though. Translating them was a terrible struggle, and she needed to get to the transporter room, needed to get to Spock. She would talk to Gaila after. After she got to Spock.

Nyota pouted. She'd  _told_  her about the tel'esta! Gaila knew  _everything,_ knew how the bond-touch affected her. She should know Nyota couldn't just  _stop._

'Tel'esta!' she said in case her friend had forgotten. Then she laughed. It sounded funny. Gaila didn't seem to understand.

' _Vulcan is such a silly language!'_  she explained. Was she speaking Vulcan? Or standard? … or Swahili?

Oh well, it didn't matter, Gaila spoke all three. She tugged at her hand, trying to free herself from her hold.

' _Nyota calm down. What happened?'_  Gaila was talking Swahili. Her accent was  _terrible._  Nyota giggled and covered her mouth.

It was hard but Nyota managed to reply.  _'Spock called me! It's wonderful! You should come!'_  she said.

She tugged at her hand again but her friend would not let go.

Then Gaila stepped back, she was talking again, loud and angry, but not to her, she was talking to the other people who were crowding around her. People in red… red… red was security! They would try and stop her! She stepped back but one of them caught her with a firm grip around her left arm.

' _Let go!'_ she demanded. No one save Spock should touch her. She was  _his_  not this man's! Angrily she twisted in his grasp.  _'Do not touch me!'_

She reached for Spock. Not the full  _tel'esta_ , she couldn't concentrate enough for that, but firmly just the same. Red shirts? Holding her! Trying to stop her coming to him!

She felt his confusion. Why didn't she just render them unconscious?

Her anger evaporated. Of course!

Nyota laughed and reached towards the man restraining her. His name was Hendorff. Cupcake! He was nice. He looked worried. He called her beautiful sometimes. He'd punched Jim Kirk for her all those years ago. She liked him.

She smiled at him as she pressed her thumb and finger against his shoulder and made him fall asleep.

Aha! She  _knew_ it! All this time Spock had said humans couldn't do it! The second guard joined his friend on the floor.

Nyota waved at Scotty and Gaila. They should come! Later she would come get them!

The turbolift made her giggle. It went  _so fast._

Nyota didn't feel like walking, so she ran to the transporter room. The ensign at the controls frowned and Nyota realised that he didn't want to let her go either. He was like the red shirts. Trying to stop her. She pinched his neck.

The co-ordinates were simple. Whoever said using a transporter console was hard had  _lied._  All she had to do was set the co-ordinates, attune it to her body frequency, adjust for the gravity and atmospheric pressure of the planet and there. Done!

She set the timer and hoped on a pad.

Gaila and Scotty and more men in red came in _. 'You should come!'_  she told them, but she was dematerialising. She wasn't sure they heard.

The air smelt really good. Fresh. The sky was blue and she was in a green field. It was warm and sunny and wonderful.

Spock and pretty woman with blonde hair waved at her from amidst a bunch of big red flowers. She waved back and ran towards them. Why didn't she run more often? It was fun! She turned a cartwheel. The grass felt nice under her fingers. She laughed. And then there was Spock.

Wonderful perfect Spock. He was smiling. Smiling at her. He pressed his fingers to hers. She felt his mind against her.

Happy!

So So So Happy!

The pretty flowers popped like party streamers and Nyota was dusted in sweet smelling pollen. She laughed. Spock smiled. He kissed her. He tasted like the flowers smelt.  _/Kash'nohv (mind meld)?/_  He asked her through his fingertips.

Oh yes! One! They should be one!  _/Yes!/_

He didn't stop kissing her as he pressed his fingers to her psi-points. The wonderful happiness enveloped them as they sunk into each other.  _Heaven! Bliss! Sha-ka-ri!_  They should stay like this forever.

Apart from Spock Nyota felt the others. They were all one. They were all happy and everything was good! They would never leave this place. They would stay here in this paradise forever.

Nyota had never felt such perfect happiness, such contentment. Nothing bad could possibly happen.

 _/I love you I love you!/_ she told Spock in their mind.

'I love you I love you!' she told him out loud.

He laughed and it was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard. He pulled her up against him so her boots dangled above the grass and then spun around in a circle.

She shrieked with laughter. Spock kept spinning. Spinning for 2 minutes and 38 seconds. And then he was dizzy and they fell over.

They laughed even harder, a tangle in the grass. Spock tickled her. She shrieked in delight. Wonderful wonderful! Everything was wonderful! Warm Vulcan arms wrapped around her, pulled her close. Her laughter calmed and instead she smiled and hummed in pleasure, pressing herself against Spock.

Then she felt a strange twinge. She and Spock both glanced up at the blonde woman. Leila Kalomi. Something had happened to her? Oh, she'd left them. She wasn't one with them anymore. That was sad. A pity.

'You are no longer with us Leila Kalomi?' Spock asked.

She shook her head. 'Her. You… you  _love_  her?'

Spock smiled. 'Of course I love her. She is my Nyota.' he said.

He pulled her closer, pressed his forehead to hers and entwined their fingers. Nyota closed her eyes and let the perfect bliss echo between them, along their bond, along their fingertips. She forgot all about poor Leila Kalomi.

Nyota kissed Spock some more. Lay entwined with him in the grass. Ran her fingers over his face and pressed kisses to his skin. He was so  _warm_. He was  _always_ so warm _._  It was nice. Everything about him was nice.

She felt her thoughts calm slightly as the effects of the  _Tel'esta_  faded, but the happiness, the perfect joy and love. That remained.

She rested her head against Spock's chest as she lay within his arms. The sky was almost as blue as Earth's.

Something was beeping. Spock's communicator. She'd forgotten hers. It didn't matter, it was probably just Kirk. They could speak to him later.

'That cumulous looks like a dragon.' Spock remarked, pointing at a particularly large fluffy cloud. 'You see the tail and the dorsal spines?'

Nyota smiled. 'I've never seen a dragon.'

'I have. On Berengaria VII' Spock said. 'Chris thought them most impressive. I found them to be quite pungent.'

'Like Admiral Archer's poor beagle?' Nyota inquired.

'Oh no. Aramis was  _far_  more malodourous than the dragons of Berengaria VII.' Spock replied solemnly. 'For one, the dragons of Berengaria VII do not suffer from gastro-intestinal distress.'

Nyota giggled.

The communicator beeped again.

Spock picked it up and flipped it open.  _'Spock!'_  came the tinny voice.

Nyota sighed. It  _was_  Kirk.

'What did you want?' Spock asked him. Nyota rolled over in his arms so she lay on her stomach half atop him. She crossed her arms over his chest and rested her chin on them. She crossed her eyes and poked her tongue out at him, trying to make him laugh. He raised an eyebrow and her and shook his head in mock disapproval.

' _Spock is that you?'_

Nyota rolled her eyes. 'Who else would it be?' she staged whispered to Spock.

' _Is Uhura with you Spock?'_

'Of course she is with me.' Spock replied.

'Where else would I be?' Nyota whispered again.

Spock ran a finger long the line of her cheek and smiled at her. 'Is there something you wanted?' he asked Kirk distractedly.

' _Where are you?'_

Spock shared a mischievous look with Nyota. 'I… do not believe I want to tell you.'

' _Spock I don't know what you think you're doing but this is an order! Report back to the settlement in ten minutes. We're evacuating the colonists to Starbase 27.'_

Nyota blew a raspberry in the general direction of the communicator and by extension, Jim Kirk.

'No. I don't think so.' Spock informed the Captain.

Nyota giggled.

' _You don't think so what?'_

'I don't think so  _sir.'_  Spock replied sarcastically.

' _Spock report to me immediately!'_

Spock did not reply. He let the communicator fall from his hand to the ground and pressed his lips to Nyota's instead. His fingers wrapped around hers and their thoughts twisted into each other gently, like eddying currents in a river. This was  _much_  better than talking to Jim Kirk or reporting to the boring settlement. She felt Spock's whole-hearted agreement.

' _Spock! Acknowledge!'_

Nyota ignored the Captain and pressed herself closer to Spock. A thought occurred to her. It was a revelation. They should make love!

Spock was amazed that it had taken them 19.3 minutes to think of it. Nyota agreed. Why hadn't they made love the moment she had found him?

He pulled her on top of him and kissed her deeply, warm fingers tangling in her hair and pulling at her hips. He was so hot against her, the heat of him burning through his clothes. She groaned into his mouth. He tasted like spice and heat and best of all, Spock. She tunnelled her fingers through his hair, tugged at it, tilting his head so she could kiss him more.

' _Uhura! Uhura if you're there acknowledge!'_

Nyota picked up the communicator and tossed it vaguely over her shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kirk is way too much fun to write.

 

**Kirk**

'Spock! Answer me!'

The communicator remained stubbornly silent. Spock had sounded completely out of it. Totally weird.

'The frequency is still open, but he doesn't answer' Jim remarked to Bones.

The Doctor frowned. 'That doesn't sound like Spock.' he replied.

'No. That didn't sound like my First Officer at all.' He paused. 'Scotty said Uhura was acting like she'd been drugged, that she knocked out three guys and was laughing like a crazy person.'

'Spock sure as heck sounded drugged.' McCoy said.

'Is that your medical opinion Doctor?'

Bones rolled his eyes. 'Based upon the way he was talking to you just then, he is clearly under the influence of  _something_.'

'Something strange is going on here Bones.' Jim glanced around them. Everything looked so normal and idyllic, and yet so much was unexplained. Why did he get the feeling there was something sinister going on beneath all the sunshine and smiling faces?

'Bones. Give your communicator.' he asked.

Bones raised an eyebrow but handed it over. Jim kept his own comm, the one Spock's was still transmitting to, open. 'Kirk to  _Enterprise.'_

' _Aye Captain. This is the Enterprise.'_  came Scotty's slightly worried sounding voice.

'Beam down a security team to my co-ordinates and prepare for the arrival of the colonists. Dr McCoy and Lt Sulu will be overseeing the evacuation. Kirk Out.'

' _Acknowledged Captain. Enterprise out.'_

Jim snapped the comm shut and tossed it back to Bones. 'You heard me. Grab Sulu and get those colonists ready to beam up.'

'How're you going to go find Spock and Uhura?' Bones asked.

Jim waved his comm. 'I can use the signal his comm's transmitting. It'll work like a homing beacon.'

'Well, be careful Jim. If he's been drugged lord knows what he might do.' he pursed his lips. 'He doesn't lose his cool very often, but when he does... well. I don't have to tell _you_  of all people not to provoke the pointy-eared bastard.'

Jim smirked. 'Duly noted Bones. I'll avoid upsetting the big bad Vulcan.'

Two figures were slowly outlined in glowing white light as the security Jim had requested beamed down. Ensign DeSalle and Ensign Cupcake err... Hendorff. Jim looked him up and down. Scotty had told him that Uhura had used Spock's party trick on him in the middle of the bridge, he looked okay though. Clearly she wasn't as good at is as her boyfriend. Jim knew from personal,  _painful_ , experience that a nerve pinch from Spock lasted quite some time. He'd been so out of it he'd slept through a violent atmospheric entry and crash landing on Delta Vega.

'Commander Spock and Lieutenant Uhura are suspected to be under the influence of a currently unknown substance. We're going to go find them and escort them back to the ship for medical treatment.' he informed the two men.

'Yessir.' they replied in synch.

'Phaser's on stun, but  _don't_  shoot anyone unless I expressly command you do.' Nyota Uhura wasn't exactly his biggest fan, stunning her or Spock wasn't going to improve her opinion of him, even if they  _were_  drugged.

Jim adjusted his comm. The signal from Spock's frequency originated 1.6km away. He led the way. It was a pretty nice walk. They passed a few fields dotted with corn and other crops and then a section of pasture. It was picturesque.  _Too_ picturesque. They didn't see anyone out in the fields save the cute biologist. Leila Kalomi. She was a long way off though and headed in a different direction.

They zeroed in on the location of the signal. Whatever he had been expecting, it was not what they found.

Spock's communicator lay abandoned in the middle of a field. There were some trees in the distance and a stand of ugly pinkish flowers. A few meters away they discovered one red Lieutenant's uniform and one blue commander's. Jim coughed. Ensign DeSalle smirked and wiggled his eyebrows at Jim suggestively. Hendorff on the other hand, who carried something of torch, (or more accurately, a  _bonfire_ ), for Uhura, frowned. No one said anything.

They found Spock's pants and boots perhaps ten meters past the uniforms, with Uhura's boots and undershirt nearby. Poor Hendorff stared at Spock's black regulation trousers as if he was attempting to make them burst into flames with just the power of his mind or something. Jim listened carefully. If he was about to stumble upon Spock and Uhura naked, doing… whatever it was they liked to do naked... he wanted ample warning. He stomped heavily making as much noise as possible as they walked.

Catching his first officer and Chief Communications Officer in such a compromising position wasn't on his to-do list. He could ignore all manner of heated looks across the bridge and discrete hand holding or whatever it was they did with their fingers when they thought no one was watching, but if he caught them in the physical act of… fraternisation… along with two witnesses, he'd  _have_  to have words with them regarding the appropriate behaviour of a senior officer.

Mercifully, he didn't hear any suggestive noises from nearby.

'See anything?' he asked.

'Negative sir.' replied Hendorff.

'Sir, the grass looked beaten down in that direction, like someone walked that way?' said DeSalle.

He was right. Jim led them at a brisk pace along the faint trail. It led them into the trees. The grass was shorter there and the trail stopped. Jim listened once more and turned in a circle, scanning the surrounding forest for any signs of Spock or Uhura.

The shrill sound of female laughter drifted through the trees to his left.

'Uhura!' Hendorff proclaimed.

Jim spun and led the men in the direction it had come from.

A minute later they heard the laughter again and then a stream of chatter in a language he didn't recognise. It was much closer.  _'Hamtanipata!' (You will not find me!)_

' _Nyota! Mimi utapata wewe!'_   _( I will find you!)_ Spock's voice rang out in response. Jim had no idea what he was saying, or what language he was speaking, but he sounded  _bizarre._  Like he was on the verge of bursting out  _laughing_  which Jim was pretty sure he was physically incapable of doing.

Hendorff broke into a jog.

Jim followed. At least they sounded like they weren't doing anything  _too_  inappropriate. There was rustling and crashing from the same direction as the voices, as if someone was running through the undergrowth. What were they doing? Playing tag? Climbing a tree? What did two drugged out people in their underwear, (he  _prayed_  they were in their underwear), do in the middle of an alien forest? Jim supposed he'd soon find out.

There was a crash of movement ahead, more laughter (Uhura's) and then she raced past them at a dead sprint. She was in her underwear alright. And smiling like a crazy person, just like Scotty had said. She was also soaking wet with her hair in a loose wild tangle down her back. In short she looked utterly insane, and utterly gorgeous.

Jim stared after her. She looked even better in her underwear then he'd remembered. A lacy peach coloured set. They  _definitely_ weren't regulation. A few seconds later Spock appeared, clearly chasing her. Also in his underwear, (thankfully  _not_ peach coloured or lacy). Also inexplicably wet.

Unlike Uhura however he stopped and acknowledged them.

'Jim!' he said with an uncharacteristic  _smile_  on his face. 'Nyota and I are swimming, you should join us!'

'What?' Jim asked.

'There is a stream ahead with an ambient water temperature pleasing to immerse oneself in.' Spock explained. 'You and Ensigns Hendorff and DeSalle would undoubtedly enjoy yourselves.'

Jim tilted his head. Well. Drugged-out Spock sure was friendly.

There was a long squeal and then a loud splash. Sounded like Uhura had found the water.

' _Spock! Kuja! (come)'_  she called from some distance away.

Without so much as a 'cya', Spock turned and set off at a sprint towards her voice.

Jim exchanged a look with the two ensigns and followed. They had no hope of keeping up with Spock, he was a Vulcan with a distinct physical advantage. He quickly outpaced them, a pale blur that vanished into the trees ahead.

They heard him yell and a splash long before they arrived at the stream.

Jim's stomach dropped. They emerged from the forest to the top of a cliff overlooking a swimming hole. To their right was a waterfall empting noisily into the pool below. The drop must have been 20 meters. Maybe more. Leaning over the edge he could see Uhura and Spock splashing in the water far below him.

'Whoa.' Ensign DeSalle remarked.

Jim agreed. No way was he following Spock and Uhura over the edge. Who knew how deep the water was? If there were rocks or submerged debris under the surface? It was probably dumb luck that neither of them had broken their necks.

Hendorff pulled off his red shirt and crouched to pull at his boots.

Jim stared at him and raised an eyebrow. 'Seriously?' he asked.

There was a high pitched shriek and a splash. Jim glanced gingerly over the edge. As he watched Spock tossed Nyota in the air like she weighed no more than a three year old. She shrieked again as she landed with a splash back in the water.

Spock laughed.

_Laughed._

Jim shook his head. Apparently Spock  _could_  laugh. Who knew?

'Whatever those two are on, I'm almost jealous.' DeSalle remarked with amusement.

'And I'm almost tempted to agree with you Ensign.' Jim replied.

'I didn't know the Commander could  _smile_  let alone  _laugh.'_  DeSalle continued.

'Well, he _is_  half-human.' Jim mused.

Hendorff stepped to the edge of the cliff dressed in just his pants.

Jim turned form DeSalle and gave him a stern look, his 'Captain Kirk' look. He'd practised it at great length in his mirror. 'Hendorff. You're not jumping. That's an order.' he said. 'You could break your neck.'

'Sir…' the Ensign replied in a pleading tone.

'They're  _fine_  Ensign. Behaving like teenagers, but fine. We'll walk around and meet them at the bottom.' Jim replied.

Spock and Uhura had noticed them.

'Jim!' called Spock, waving a pale arm above his head. 'Jump! The release of adrenaline as a result of the 22.9 meter fall is very enjoyable!'

Jim looked at the drop appraisingly, it  _did_  look like fun actually. If he'd know the water was deep and free of rocks, he'd have been tempted… Hell, he still was.

'Hi Hendorff!' Uhura yelled. She waved.

'Um, Hi Uhura?' the Ensign called back. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine! Better than fine! You should join us!' she replied in an odd tone of voice. Although it was not as obvious as in Spock, she was clearly not herself.

'We need to return to the ship Lieutenant.' Jim called.

She shook her head. 'No, I'm going to stay here.' she replied casually.

Jim frowned. 'Spock, I need you and Uhura to return to the settlement so we can evacuate the colonist. That's an order.'

'No, I think I will stay here with Nyota.' he replied happily. He had climbed out of the pool and was standing on the rocky shore on the opposite side. Uhura swam over to him and he reached down and pulled her effortlessly from the water. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders playfully and leant to whisper in his ear.

Spock smiled and nodded. As one they turned and ran into the trees.

'SPOCK! UHURA! GET BACK HERE! THAT'S AN ORDER!' Jim yelled after them in disbelief.

He heard Uhura's laughter and over the top Spock's voice. 'Sorry Jim!'

He sure didn't  _sound_  sorry.

Hendorff stared at the spot they'd disappeared into the forest like a kicked puppy.

Jim sighed.

'Let's head back the settlement and check on the evacuation. I'll deal with those two later.'

DeSalle, who appeared to find the entire situation hilarious, nodded and tried not to smile.

Hendorff clenched his jaw. Jim could tell he wanted to voice his disapproval, but he restrained himself. 'Yessir.' he replied.

'And… keep this to yourselves. They're not themselves.' he added, hoping the ensign's could resist sharing such juicy gossip. At least they hadn't been skinny dipping.

Jim pulled out his communicator and punched in Bones' frequency. 'Bones come in.'

' _Hiya Jim!'_

Oh no. Jim knew that tone. That was Leonard 'I've had half a dozen bourbons and I'm feeling reeaaaal relaxed' McCoy.

'Report on the status of the evacuation Bones.'

' _Oh it's going swell Jim. We're beamin' em up like nobody's business!'_

Well. That was good… he supposed? 'Good. Keep it up. Kirk out.'

They hurriedly retraced their steps, headed for the designated beam up area. There was indeed a crowd of people with luggage, but they weren't colonists, they were Starfleet personnel. They were all smiling. Some were holding hands and smiling.

'This doesn't look good Captain.' DeSalle remarked.

'Jimmy-boy!' Bones called. He was smiling broadly.

As Jim and the ensigns approached him, Bones spoke into his communicator and a pile of ugly red plants vanished, beamed up to the ship.

'Bones! What's going on here!?' Jim demanded.

'Now now Jimmy-boy, you just relax. Doctor's orders.' Bones replied in a deep Southern drawl with a big stupid smile on his face. 'Everything's all taken care of.'

' _What's_  taken care of Bones?! You were ordered to evacuate the  _colonists,_ not the  _Enterprise!'_ Jim demanded. 'And what are those plants you're beaming up?'

'Pod plants Jim.' Bones replied. 'Marvellous things! You've got to take a look at one.' He gestured at the pile to one side that Lieutenant Sulu and half a dozen assorted crew were adding to with the merry enthusiasm of Santa's elves.

Jim looked at the 'pod plants' suspiciously. He recalled there had been some near Spock's communicator. DeSalle took a few steps towards them. 'Just plants stir. Butt ugly succulents of some sort. With a seed pod or a really ugly flower.' He said.

'Yeah well, stay away from - '

One of the plants  _exploded._  A fine cloud of pollen or something enveloped DeSalle. Jim started towards him but Hendorff, wisely, stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. 'DeSalle! Are you alright?' Jim called.

The Ensign blinked, looked around himself as if in a daze and then smiled widely. 'Oh I'm not alright Captain, I'm wonderful!  _It's_  wonderful!'

' _Ready for another beam up? Cause I got impatient folks up here.'_  a perky voice piped from Bones' communicator.

'You betcha! Same co-ordinates.' Bones replied cheerfully.

Jim grabbed the comm. 'This is the Captain! All transport to and from the planet is to cease immediately. That's an order!'

' _Geez, you need to relax sir. There's no need to be worried, it's better this way.'_

There was the tell-tale white buzzing light and then six crew appeared and the pile of plants vanished. They were all smiling and looked far too relaxed. Some of them weren't even in uniform. Jim recognised one of them instantly. Ensign Gaila U'Aidat was wearing… something. It may have been a dress. Or possibly a skirt and top combo. It was impossible to tell. It was bright blue, glittery and there was very little of it. She was carrying one of the ugly red flowers.

'Leonard!' she called out joyously.

Bones gave her an appreciative smile. 'Well hellooo there green and gorgeous.' Jim raised an eyebrow and shot him a look. Bones was too busy leering at the shapely Orion to notice. 'You fixin' to start a fire without a match?' he asked suggestively.

Gaila rushed forward and threw her arms around him. 'Oh Leonard! Such a wonderful gift! It's  _perfect!_ '

'Well now darlin' I couldn't rightly have you missin' out on all this here fun stuck up on that there stuffy ol' bridge.' Bones replied.

Jim glanced from Gaila to Bones and back again. Seriously? Those two. Great. Just great. He snatched the comm. 'I ordered you to cease all transport! You disobeyed a direct order crewman!'

There was no answer. Jim spun around and took in the scene around him. He counted. Approximately 70 crew. Possibly more. All afflicted with the strange plant's intoxicant or whatever it was. Only he and Hendorff were unaffected. He needed answers!

'Hendorff! With me!'

'Yessir.'

He led the Ensign into the colony proper and back to Elias Sandoval's house at a jog. The door was open. 'Sandoval!' he called, slightly out of breath.

'Yes Captain?' the Colony leader inquired quietly from the kitchen.

Jim stalked over to where he sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea.

'Just what the hell is going on here!? Half my crew have completely lost their wits! They're disobeying orders and doing whatever the hell they please!' he said. 'My First Officer's off frolicking in the jungle with my Chief Communication Officer, not a care in the world, and my Chief Medical Officer is hitting on ensigns and sending  _exploding_ flowers up to infect my crew!' he slammed a fist on the table for emphasis. 'What the hell are these Pod Plants and what are they doing to my crew!?  _Answers_ Sandoval! Now!'

The older man didn't look at all worried by Jim's words or tone. 'Oh, you'll have your answers soon enough I think Captain.' he said. 'There's nothing to worry about, it's better this way.'

'Answer me goddammit!' Jim yelled.

'Your crew are in no danger Captain, the rest of your answers you'll have to look for yourself.' Sandoval replied smiling serenely.

Jim fought the urge to sock him one. Instead he glared and stalked out of the room. He pulled out his communicator. 'Kirk to  _Enterprise.'_

' _Hello there Captain! This is the Enterprise.'_  Scotty sounded like he'd been indulging in a 'wee dram' as he put it.

Jim sighed. 'What's your status Scotty?'

' _Oh everything's great Captain! We'll all be down within a few hours.'_

'Down? What are you talking about?' Jim asked, though he had a bad feeling he did.

' _Why down on the planet of course! We're all joining the colony!'_

Jim pulled the comm from his ear and glared at it. 'Has the whole damn world gone mad!?' he yelled.

Hendorff didn't offer any enlightenment.

Jim snapped the comm shut and restrained the urge to throw it at the nearest wall.

He took a breath and pressed a hand to his skull. 'Great. Just great.' he remarked more calmly, massaging his temples and trying to think.

Hendorff was giving him the kicked puppy look again.

By the time night fell almost the entire crew of the  _Enterprise_  had beamed down to the planet. Jim and Ensign Hendorff didn't encounter anyone else free of the spores' influence. No one answered his hails to the ship. He was at a loss. He needed Spock and Bones, needed advice, but they were both blitzed out of their minds. Would it wear off? Was it permanent? The colonists wouldn't tell him anything. They reassured him no one was going to be hurt and that everything would 'okay' but refused to answer any real questions.

While he stressed himself towards an aneurysm, the  _Enterprise_  crew built a bonfire and had a great big  _party._

Jim stared at them dancing and laughing and tried desperately to think of something. Anything. Clearly the plant affected their brains. Like a drug. Drugs had antidotes. Perhaps he could study a specimen and synthesize one? Oh who was he kidding. He wasn't a biologist. Or a chemist. Or whatever the hell you'd need to be to do that.

What else? Some people were resistant to drugs, you needed different does for different people because of that. Maybe the effect of the spores was stronger on some people then others? Gaila appeared particularly effected. Her Orion physiology perhaps?

What about Spock? Spock wasn't human. And drugs affected the brain and Vulcan's had all sorts of crazy mental disciplines. Maybe the plant's hold on him wouldn't be as strong as it was over the rest of the crew? When they'd found them running around in the forest Spock _had_  stopped to explain himself to Kirk where Uhura hadn't bothered… It was unlikely, but better than nothing. And better than watching his crew dance around like simpletons and avoiding their clumsy attempts to get he and Hendorff near the god damned pod plants.

But  _where_  would Spock be? It was highly unlikely he and Uhura would still be swimming. Jim scanned the crowd at the bonfire. He noted Bones and Gaila doing some sort of Orion dance that was very suggestive _,_  especially given that Bones usually point-blank refused to dance. Scotty laughing with a bunch of engineers from the lower decks with that pretty nurse, Chapel, sitting beside him and Sulu was flirting with  _two_  pretty colonists, but there was no sign of Spock or Uhura.

'Hendorff,' he snapped decisively, 'we're going to find Commander Spock and Lieutenant Uhura. Spock might not be as deeply affected as the rest of the crew since he's Vulcan and they have mental disciplines. Hopefully we can snap him out of it.' It wasn't a great plan, but Jim had found any plan was better than none. They'd figure something out as they went along. Probably.

'Aye Sir.' Hendorff replied sounding pleased. He wanted to find Uhura no doubt. Kirk felt sorry for him. The man clearly didn't recognise a lost cause when he saw one. If  _James Kirk_  couldn't get the luscious Lieutenant Uhura to notice him, Hendorff had  _zero_ chance.

They made their way back to where they'd last seen the pair. There was no sign of them at the meadow, but their clothes were gone. That could be a good sign. Maybe their wits had returned and they'd gotten dressed? They'd been affected first, maybe the influence of the spores had worn off? They continued to the waterhole. It was empty, but Jim could see a light through the trees down below.

He and Hendorff carefully made their way around the cliff and to the stream below. It was slow going in the dark. They headed towards the light. It was definitely a fire.

'Spock! Uhura!' Jim called.

There was no response. Jim made sure he made as much noise as possible.

'Lieutenant Uhura!' Hendorff called. His voice carried better than Jim's. 'Commander Spock?!'

Jim winced as the Ensign almost deafened him with his bellowing. Spock and Uhura  _must_  have heard him.

They arrived in a small relatively flat clearing. Uhura was in Spock's lap and they were – Jim prepared himself for the need for a mental bleaching - oh, they were back in uniform and… asleep? Spock was leaning against a tree and Uhura was in his lap and sure her arms and legs were wrapped around him, but she appeared to be sleeping. That wasn't so bad, wasn't too awkward. Kinda cute almost.

'Spock? Uhura?' he called as he approached them.

Neither of them opened their eyes or acknowledged him, but Uhura mumbled something and lifted her head from Spock's shoulder.

Jim froze. Spock's hand was pressed to her face. He knew that gesture, knew what they were doing.

'Um…' could they hear him? He wasn't sure. 'Spock? Uhura?'

Uhura moaned. And whilst the sound sent a pleasant little jolt of awareness through Jim's body, he was perfectly aware that it wasn't in response to his voice. She arched her back and pushed her face and shoulders away from Spock and her hips closer to him. The hand Spock had on her back slid down to her butt and pulled her against him. She moaned again. Louder this time. Jim cleared his throat. Okay. It was getting awkward.

'Spock! Uhura!' Jim called loudly. He stomped across to stand right next to them.  _Surely_  they heard him?!

They started kissing.

Enthusiastically.

Jim winced. He did  _not_ need a front row seat to this charming display of interspecies… harmony… He pressed a hand to his face and groaned.

' _Awesome_. _'_  he murmured to himself.

He turned his back on them and screwed his eyes shut for a second, trying to banish the image of Spock shoving his tongue down Uhura's throat from his mind. He was only partially successful. It was a pretty vivid image. Hendorff looked like he was about to have a stroke. Even in the dim firelight Jim could see how  _red_  his face was.

'What are they  _doing_?' he asked sounding completely appalled.

'Seriously?' Jim queried cocking an eyebrow. 'Did your parents never sit you down and have 'the talk' with you Hendorff?'

Spock was saying something. A deep rumble that Jim was very glad he did not understand. He hazarded a glance at his First Officer and Chief Communications Officer. There hadn't gotten to second base yet. Mostly because of how thoroughly they looked to be enjoying first. Spock appeared to be giving Uhura a hickey. She seemed to be enjoying it. Evidently they not only played around like teenagers, but made out like them. Jim wondered if that was the spores or…. he refused to finish the thought. He didn't need to be pondering his officer's preferences in the bedroom.

'Okay Hendorff. They can't hear us. Obviously we need to um. stop them…' he gestured vaguely over his shoulder towards them, '… you know. Stop them. So we can talk to them.'

'Yessir.' Hendorff replied. He was still staring past Jim towards the pair near the fire.

Kirk cleared his throat. 'Um, Ensign? Maybe give them a little privacy.'

Hendorff started in embarrassment. 'Oh. Yes sir.' He turned to face Jim, averting his gaze from Spock and Uhura.

Uhura groaned and let out a long pretty jumble of unintelligible words. It seemed like every second or third one was  _'Spock!',_ except she made it sound like it had an 'h' in it somewhere. It sounded sexy as hell. How the woman made a name as ridiculous as 'Spock' sound hot was a mystery of its own. Before he could stop himself his brain was already guessing at what she was saying. 'Fuck me Spock!' 'Kiss me Spock!' He shut his eyes for a moment and told his brain to sort its shit out. He was a decorated Starfleet Captain, not a dumb hick who fantasised about what his crew said during sex.

'Why can't they hear us? The spores?' Hendorff asked. His jaw muscles were pulsing in his temples.

'No. Their um, mind-melding.' Jim explained, glad for the distraction.

At Hendorff' gormless look he continued. 'Vulcans can join their minds telepathically.' He pressed his hand to his cheek and temple. 'That's what this is.'

'You mean the Commander's using Vulcan Mind Control on her?' Hendorff demanded in dismay.

Jim frowned in confusion. Vulcan Mind Control? 'What? No!'

Before he could explain further Uhura cried out. As a man of some experience in such things, Jim could tell she was merely vocalising her, um, appreciation for… whatever it was Spock was doing, (he wasn't going to turn around and look), but clearly Hendorff couldn't. The Ensign blundered past Jim to Uhura and dragged her up onto her feet. She cried out again,  _this_ time in pain. Spock was on his feet instantly, snarling.

Uh oh. Jim knew that look. Hendorff was about to receive a beat down, Vulcan style. He quickly stepped in front of Spock, hands raised, and tried to calm him down.

'Spock! Spock it's okay!'

The Vulcan didn't even seem to hear him, was staring over his shoulder at Uhura and Hendorff and making a  _really_  disturbing growling noise.

'Uhura? Uhura are you okay? Did he hurt you?' Hendorff asked in a soft voice.

Spock's eyes narrowed.

Jim waved his hands a bit, trying to get his attention. 'Spock! It's just a misunderstanding, Uhura's fine!'

Behind him he heard Uhura take a deep breath and let out a sob. At the noise the growling noise from Spock became a snarl. Jim suddenly noticed he had really pointy teeth.

'Release her!' Spock demanded. His usually perfect standard was heavily accented. He stepped forward, the rage on that usually cool and collected face ominous.

Jim hazarded a look over his shoulder. Uhura had a hand to her head and was breathing heavily, staring at Spock whilst she struggled against Hendorff.

'Let me go!' she yelled.

Hendorff frowned and spoke gently. 'It's okay Uhura, it's me, Hendorff. I'm not going to hurt you.' Uhura ignored him and twisted, trying to break his hold on her.

Jim noted Spock's clenched fists. 'Shitshitshit' he mumbled. 'Hendorff! Let her go. Now!'

'Sir!?' he asked.

'Ensign that's an order! Let her go  _right now_.'

'But –'

'ENSIGN!'

Hendorff let Uhura go.

She almost tripped over her own feet in her haste to throw herself at Spock. He shot forward and pulled her into his arms. Instantly his face softened. Calmed. They did that weird finger thing and pressed their foreheads together. Jim was pretty sure they were talking to each other.

Hendorff looked furious and shocked all at once.

Jim glared at him. 'He wasn't  _hurting_  her Ensign, and he wasn't using 'Vulcan Mind Control' on her since I'm pretty sure that  _doesn't exist.'_

Hendorff didn't look convinced.

'They were  _talking_  to each other. That's it.' Jim explained. No, no, it wasn't really, but that was about as much explanation as Hendorff needed.

'She was holding her head, she was in pain when I pulled her away.' he insisted.

'She was in pain  _because_  you pulled her away Ensign.' Spock calmly interrupted, his voice cool, his accent perfectly crisp and clear once more.

Jim spun to look at him. Apart from the fact that he was openly holding Uhura, he sounded… normal?

'Spock? Are you… you?' he inquired.

Spock raised an eyebrow at his vague inquiry. 'Affirmative Captain. The shock caused by Ensign Hendorff's ill-informed severance of our mindmeld and my subsequent… displeasure at him… appear to have cleared us both of the influence of the spores.' he replied.

'Well that's good to hear. Not that Hendorff gave you and Uhura a headache, but that you're both back to normal.' he looked at Uhura. 'You feeling alright Lieutenant?'

'Yes sir. Back to normal.' she replied.

Jim sat down heavily and ran a hand through his hair. 'Well thank god for that.' He said. 'I'm pretty sure we are the  _only_  crew currently in possession of their wits. The rest of them are prancing around a bonfire, laughing and dancing like idiots.'

Spock tilted his head. 'Not the  _entire_  crew Captain.'

Jim glanced up at his First Officer hopefully.

'The influence of the spores not only causes euphoria, but also a sense of connection and oneness to the others afflicted.' Spock continued. 'The spores commune with one another and the hosts sense this connection. I noted 415 crew members under the hold of the spores. Therefore 13 members of the crew, including ourselves, must remain unaffected.'

Jim pulled out his communicator. No one had answered him earlier, but maybe… 'Kirk to  _Enterprise._  Come in  _Enterprise.'_  Static.  _'_ Is there anyone not affected by the spores up there?'

' _Captain?'_

It was Chekov.

'Chekov!' Jim exclaimed in pleasure.

' _Captain... you are... yourself yes?'_  the young Russian inquired suspiciously.

'That's correct Ensign. Painfully sober. Get down to the transporter room. Four to beam up.' Jim replied.

' _Yes sir!'_

Just a few minutes later Jim materialised in Transporter Room 2 with Spock, Hendorff and Uhura arrayed around him. He sighed in relief to be back aboard his ship. Things were looking up. Ensign Chekov and two yeomen stood to attention. They all looked really relieved to see him. Jim addressed his Navigator as she stepped off the pad. 'Chekov! Report.'

'Nine crew remain aboard the ship Captain. We were able to jettison the plants beamed aboard. We have not been able to determine any sort of cure sir.' he replied.

'Who's at the con?' Jim asked.

'Sir, I am the only officer left aboard. I relinquished command to… Acting Ensign Rand sir.' Chekov replied nervously.

Rand was one of the yeoman who reported directly to him. A very capable… and attractive… blonde…  _shapely_ … yeoman. 'A  _Yeoman_  in the command chair of the  _Enterprise?_ ' he asked sceptically.

'I seem to recall a  _cadet_  sitting in that chair quite recently.' Spock remarked.

'Right you are Commander. Rand's perfectly capable. Still, let's get up there and hail Starfleet.'

'Er, communications are out sir.' Chekov added.

'That might have been a useful titbit to include when I asked you to report Chekov.' Kirk replied.

Chekov's face crumpled. 'Yes Captain. Sorry Captain.' he said.

Jim slapped him on the shoulder to let him know he wasn't really angry. 'Let's see if Uhura can't sort it out for us.'

After inspecting the damage Uhura reported that whilst she could indeed repair the damage she'd require replacement parts to be replicated, and Scotty was the only person on board with the knowledge and skill to create a replication schematic from a 'hard copy' as it were. Even Spock admitted he was unfamiliar with the technique.

Those that remained aboard had gathered in the bridge. There were still plenty of empty seats. Jim sighed.

'Okay! So we know these spores are inhaled and the effect is…'

'Inescapable.' Spock finished.

'Right. Inescapable. We can't risk exposure. Beaming down to the planet is too great a risk, especially since our pals down there all seem to be eager to get us to 'join them'.' Jim looked speculatively at Spock and then Uhura. 'Maybe we could beam people up, one or two at a time, and try and shock them out of it like you and Uhura Spock?'

'A time consuming process that could expose the remaining crew to the risk of infection.' Spock replied.

'Well, Commander,' Hendorff began in thoughtful tone that was odd to hear from such a big guy, 'Uhura snapped out of it because she was in pain right?'

'Affirmative.' Spock's voice was  _glacial._

'And you snapped out of it because you were angry?'

'That is correct.' Ice Ice cold. Jim was glaaaad he was not Hendorff.

The Ensign himself seemed unconcerned, or perhaps just oblivious to how pissed the Vulcan was at him. 'Well, could we start a fight somehow? Get them arguing?'

'A brawl between 409 Starfleet personnel and 45 colonists is hardly a more logical suggestion than the Captain's.' Spock replied.

'Wait!' Uhura called across the bridge. 'What about a subsonic transmitter? One that will broadcast over our communicators?'

Jim instantly understood. He grinned. 'Yes! If we get the frequency right, they won't really be able to hear it but it will irritate the hell out of them!'

'And they will become increasingly frustrated until the influence of the spores is broken.' Spock summarised.

'Uhura you're a genius!' Jim proclaimed. 'Spock, Chekov, help her get this sorted.'


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Big thanks to Lamb's Ear for proofing like, a million versions of this chapter.

**Nyota**

Rigging up a subsonic transmitter was relatively straight forward with Chekov and Spock providing assistance. Spock was of course familiar with the array having aided in its design and Chekov was an incredibly quick study. Handily the teenager also had quite slender hands and was able to work in tandem with Nyota in rerouting the more annoyingly positioned circuits inside the console. Between the three of them they had the Subspace Communications Array correctly re-configured and transmitting over the crew's communicator frequencies in less two hours. They probably could have done it in one if Kirk hadn't hovered around offering 'advice'.

With the transmitter broadcasting the crew snapped out of their spore induced delirium in staggered groups over the course of several hours. Not all of them had taken their comm units with them, so Kirk organised teams to seek out the stragglers and annoy, anger or irritate them back to their senses. Their shift rotations ended up thoroughly out of sync thanks to the unscheduled 'shore leave' down on the planet, so Nyota ended up pulling a double as they beamed up crew members and evacuated colonists.

She felt decidedly rumpled by the time she was relieved by a hung-over looking Lieutenant Hawkins. Her uniform had definitely seen better days and her skin felt clammy and sticky, unsurprising since she'd spent a day running around a forest in her underwear and swimming in her panties. And her poor hair was a  _complete_  disaster. She'd spent fifteen minutes in front of the bridge restroom mirror picking out assorted leaves and twigs on her meal break, but she still felt like she had a small forest eco-system hiding away up there. Still, compared to the way some of the crew were sheepishly returning to the ship, she looked pretty professional, cave-woman coiffure and all.

The stories that had come back up with them had been almost entertaining enough to distract her from her growing tiredness and discomfort. Lieutenant Sulu had re-enacted scenes from 'The Three Musketeers', the medical department, led by Nurse Chapel, had performed a stirring rendition of a risqué Risian love song accompanied, bizarrely,  by Scotty on his bagpipes and of course there was the business with Gaila and Dr McCoy. Sultry Orion courtship dances. McCoy proposing to her on one knee in front of pretty much the entire crew. Gaila  _accepting._ Scotty promptly 'marrying' them.

No wonder no one asked where she'd been, or Spock for that matter. The rest of the senior crew's antics provided ample distraction.

Hawkins didn't meet her eyes as he took over her position at the Communications Console. Nyota wondered what embarrassing antics the Lieutenant had gotten up to, but refrained from asking, she was too tired to really care. Instead she headed straight towards Spock's quarters. Technically, she had her own smaller room nearby, but in reality it functioned more as a closet. They could request larger quarters to share, however the First Officer's quarters were as large as a double anyway, and not large enough at that. Nyota kept her everyday clothing and personal items in Spock's quarters, but she still managed to fill her own quarters with what remained. Lord knew how Gaila had managed to fit even her shoe collection into her tiny Ensign's room, let alone the rest of her clothes.

Of course closet space wasn't really the reason she officially slept in her own room. Their relationship was… complicated. Nyota knew how Spock felt about his privacy, and she didn't exactly like having her own personal life on display either. Their 'personal' association was something of an open secret. Kirk knew they were married - it was listed plainly on both their files. McCoy and his head Nurse - Chapel, were also privy to the same information. It had come up out of necessity with McCoy a few times during check ups, but otherwise none of them made mention of it, something that Nyota was grateful for. Apart from Gaila, Nyota wasn't sure who else knew. The bridge crew and the rest of the senior staff knew there was  _something_  between herself and Spock, but none had ever asked her outright for specifics. Relationships between officers on ships were hardly uncommon, and the general rule of thumb was 'don't ask don't tell'.

She hoped Hendorff and DeSalle would follow that unspoken rule and keep the behaviour they'd observed to themselves, or at least dismiss it as the influence of the spores.

She and Spock weren't hiding per say, they'd just had enough to deal with in the wake of  _Va'Pak_ without adding the gossiping of a ship full of bored Starfleet personnel into the mix, so they were… discreet. They hadn't discussed it explicitly, there wasn't a need when they were telepathically bonded, but they both shared an expectation that they would enjoy anonymity for as long as they could before they had to deal with public scrutiny. Being the Vulcan First Officer's 'suspected' girlfriend got Nyota enough unwanted attention. She hated to think of the interest she'd get if people knew she was his  _bondmate_.

She wasn't completely happy with the situation, but there was one other reason why Nyota didn't push Spock, one that he refused to talk about or acknowledge, but that worried Nyota.

He still had not really dealt with the loss of his home-world.

He took risks. Rash, illogical,  _stupid_  risks.

Nyota knew that he'd always been 'brave', (or more accurately perhaps, just not afraid of anything, fear was an emotion after all), he certainly had the commendations, ribbons and medals from Starfleet to prove as much, but he'd never been  _reckless_. He'd never been a 'risk-taker' like Jim Kirk. He'd always carefully thought his actions through, been guided by logic.

That was no longer the case.

On several occasions over the last six months he'd behaved with an apparent complete disregard for his own safety. He'd been on the verge of sacrificing himself on Taurus II when she'd arrived in a stolen shuttle just in time to stop him, on Deneva he'd impulsively risked permanent blindness and worst of all - he hadn't even  _told_  her when he'd volunteered to impersonate a  _Romulan_  to infiltrate a Vulcan plot to destroy Romulus. She'd only found out  _after_  the fact when he returned to their quarters in Romulan clothes with a shaved head and ritual facial markings. She'd been horrified and livid at him. She  _still_  got angry and upset just thinking about the huge risk he'd taken.

She didn't know what to do. He would not talk to her about it. He feigned ignorance, pretended there had been no change in his behaviour, that he was unaffected by  _Va'Pak_. She feared that perhaps he  _wanted_  to die, that he felt he deserved it. Survivor's Guilt. In a human she'd think that was what his behaviour indicated, but in a Vulcan… She just didn't know. She knew him inside out, as intimately as possible, but her perspective of him was still that of an alien. She wasn't a Vulcan, there were parts of him that she'd never understand. And he meditated so much, keep his pain so completely buried, that she couldn't even tell how deeply it ran, that grief and guilt she knew he felt.

She'd been so upset after the Romulan incident she'd spent hours using up her subspace bandwidth allotment talking to her mother about it. Tamu thought she should discuss it with Amanda and Sarek, get a Vulcan's perspective. Nyota was beginning to think she'd have to. She didn't want to worry his mother though. Amanda would be just as concerned as she, but feel much more helpless across the galaxy on New Vulcan.

Perhaps the period of mindless bliss on Omicron Ceti III would have helped him put some distance between himself and his grief. A therapeutic distraction. She hoped so.

She made her way across Deck 4 through the officer's quarters lost in dark thought about her husband. A door cycled open behind her with a muted whoosh, but Nyota was too distracted to turn and offer passing greeting to whoever it was.

"Nyota!" a soft voice hissed.  She turned back at the familiar voice.

Gaila was leaning out of her doorway with a stricken expression on her face. If Nyota's thoughts were troubled, she imagined Gaila's were probably almost as bad. Possibly worse. She'd gotten married under the influence so to speak. It'd make a hilarious anecdote someday, but that day was a looong way away. Even though she wanted nothing more than to have a shower and then collapse into bed, preferably with Spock next to her doubling as the universe's warmest, nicest smelling pillow, Nyota headed back down the corridor towards her friend with a suitably sympathetic expression on her face. Lord knew Gaila had listened to her whining about her love life or lack thereof over the four years they'd been friends, she owed her, double shift and twig-encrusted hair or not.

The Orion stepped aside with a pouty expression and waved her in. Nyota braced herself and stepped past her.

Gaila's room was, as usual, an assault on the senses.

Without a room-mate to keep her in check it resembled the aftermath of an explosion in a bordello. Bright scraps of clothing and underwear hung off everything. Every flat surface was covered in piles of cosmetics, jewellery, bits of circuitry, PADDs and...  _toys._  The smell of perfume, expensive lotions and toiletries combined into one big, confusing, flowery punch to the olfactory senses. Diplomatically, Nyota forwent her usual _'Oh my god Gaila! Clean your room up!'_  tirade and cleared herself a spot to perch on the edge of her friend's bed without comment. She had to quickly stand up again and remove a hairbrush and a half dissembled communicator from under the sheets however. She tossed the hairbrush further back on the bed but put the communicator in her lap for further perusal. It was heavy in her hand and at a glance it looked like Gaila had put a lot of extra circuitry inside. She wondered what modifications she was making...

Gaila paced back and forth across her small Ensigns's Quarters. Nyota thought she'd been doing so for some time. There was path cleared of clothing and other debris across the floor.

'Are you okay?' Nyota asked, figuring a vague opening was safest.

Her friend was frowning and trying to chew her bottom lip off. 'No!' she proclaimed gesturing dramatically with both arms. 'No! I'm really not okay!'

Nyota winced in sympathy. 'Do you wanna talk about it?' she ventured warily.

Gaila stopped and shot her a suspicious look, her blue eyes all hard and steely where they were usually bright and friendly. 'You won't laugh?'

Nyota raised an eyebrow. 'You think  _I'm_ going to mock you about impulsively marrying someone from a different planet?'

'Good point.' Gaila conceded seriously. 'And Leonard isn't my instructor or superior officer. So unlike you I haven't broken any regulations.'

Nyota crossed her arms.  _'Thanks_  Gaila.'

Her friend waved a hand dismissively. 'Oh I'm not trying to be bitch, I'm just stating facts. This is bad enough, if I'd married say,' she paused and tilted her head to one side thoughtfully, ' _you_  for instance, this would be way more complicated.'

' _Me?'_  Nyota felt compelled to inquire.

Gaila nodded earnestly. 'As Chief Communications Officer, you're my direct superior officer - the last person on the  _Enterprise_  I should be fraternising with.' She smirked and gave Nyota an over the top once over. 'Which is  _such_ a shame. Like I told you in first year, I could have rocked your world.' For emphasis she finished with a pouting air kiss.

Rolling her eyes Nyota let herself smile at her friend's teasing, pleased her mood seemed to be improving. Maybe she wasn't as cut up over the McCoy thing as she'd thought. 'And like I told  _you_ in first year, you lack the equipment to 'rock my world' as you put it.' she replied.

Gaila smirked. 'Ohhhh I've got plenty of 'equipment'.' she said picking up something large, pink and... Nyota screwed up her face. 

After a protracted pause she asked 'Where does that even  _go?'_ in morbid curiosity she knew she'd regret.

With a wide grin Gaila flicked a button and the disturbing...  _thing_  started to hum and oscillate in a vaguely threatening manner. Nyota shrunk back away from it instinctively.

'Wait for it!' Gaila proclaimed excitedly. Nyota jumped slightly as the movement of the thing in her friend's hand intensified and then it made a popping noise. Her eyes widened. Now it had... tendrils?

'There is  _no way_  I would  _ever_  let that thing anywhere near me Gaila.' she said emphatically. 

'You're missing out then! This bad boy is banned for good reason!' Her friend waved it around as she spoke. Nyota was mildly concerned she'd accidentally lose an eye.

'Yeah, probably because it looks like some sort of pink Klingon torture device.' she muttered.

'Ohhh you pretend to be all prim and proper Ny, but I know the truth about all the wild kinky sex you and the Commander have.' Gaila's mood had done a complete 180. Teasing Nyota about Spock was one of her favourite pastimes. Nyota sighed.

'Yes yes. Wild. Kinky. Sex swings and Romulan bondage. All that.' Nyota replied vaguely, returning her attention to the communicator she'd picked up earlier. It looked like Gaila had somehow managed to shoehorn the much larger frequency amplifier from a tricorder into the little unit. 'Does this work?' she asked curiously. If it did, it would have probably three times the range of a standard comm unit.

Gaila sighed, clearly annoyed at the change of subject. She lowered her arm and the pink monstrosity wiggled around near her thigh like an angry fish. 'No, the larger amp is too much of a power drain. I need a bigger battery pack.'

A power pack from a tricorder would be far too large to fit. But maybe... 'What about one from a medical scanner?' she asked.

Gaila tilted her head and looked into the middle distance thoughtfully. 'That might actually work.' she replied. 'The handheld scanners have high yield crystal power packs. I'd been thinking of using a phaser pack, but they are so unstable. I'll ask Leonard to requisition me a couple to experiment with.'

At the mention of Leonard McCoy Nyota looked up in concern. Sure enough, Gaila's face was suddenly as mopey and depressed as it had been when she'd first seen her in the hallway. She clearly needed to talk about it. Nyota put the modified communicator down and gave Gaila her full attention.

'So, what happened with Dr McCoy Gaila?' she asked lightly. 

Gaila sighed melodramatically and threw herself onto her bed beside Nyota. The drama of the moment was ruined slightly by her exclamation of pain as she landed on an assortment of pointy objects. She pulled a red heeled shoe out from under the sheets and glared at it as she rubbed her backside. Nyota snorted and her friend turned the glare onto her.

She smoothed her face. 'Sorry Gai. I'm all ears. Tell me all about your whirlwind engagement to Leonard McCoy.'

Gaila heaved a huge sigh. ' _Well...'_

_._

* * *

_._

An hour and a half later Nyota left Gaila in a slightly more optimistic mood than she'd found her in.

Spock was in his quarters. She'd felt him leave the bridge a little over an hour previously. She didn't encounter any other friends in need of emotional debriefing during the short walk to his quarters. The door was coded to her and opened at her command. As it hissed shut behind her she slumped and let out a relieved sigh. Her stomach was empty, she was  _dying_  for a shower and she was exhausted. 

It was darker and warmer inside his quarters than in the common areas of the ship, 27˚c with the lights at 70% and in the warm spectrum as opposed to the cool. A compromise between Vulcan and Human preferences that Nyota found comforting. The dry warmth was relaxing and reminded her of home and the lower lighting was relaxing for her eyes after hours spent on the gleaming bridge staring at her bright console monitors. As was often the case the pleasant scent of incense also added to welcoming atmosphere. Spock was meditating.

He had rearranged one corner of the sitting area into a space he could meditate within. He was sat there now in a dark meditation robe, his feet crossed in the  _loshirak (lotus_ ) position, his back perfectly straight and his hands pressed beneath his chin, middle and index finger pointed upwards. A small asenoi burnt in front of him. He regarded it blindly. He did not blink. Nyota knew if she were to kneel before him and peer right into his eyes she'd be able to make out the transparent inner eyelid giving his eyes a slightly opaque appearance. One of his more obviously 'alien' physical divergences to her.

The utter stillness of his body, the barely perceivable movement of his respiration and his frozen gaze, was, as always, mildly disconcerting. His presence within their bond was muted, but his cool and distant thoughts were indicative of only fairly light meditation. When he meditated intensely the 'feel' of his mind where they were joined changed a great deal. His thoughts slowed to a near glacial pace - as if he'd slowed time inside his mind. Or his perception of it at least.

The flickering orange light of the asenoi made him seem even more Vulcan and otherworldly than usual. The robe he wore blended into the shadows the flames cast and he seemed to merge into the darkness, his face, pointed ear, upswept alien brow and precisely, ritualistically arranged hands standing out stark and pale against the shadows. There was nothing…  _sexy_  about Spock meditating, but he looked so… so…  _Vulcan_. - No that was wrong, he looked so completely  _Spock_  - that seeing him sat before his asenoi had a decidedly un-meditative effect upon Nyota.

She restrained herself however. Instead of disturbing him she went and showered, she expected he would arise before she returned to the living room and they'd share a meal.

It took her  _forever_ to get what seemed like the foliage of an entire damn tree out of her hair. By the time she'd combed it into vague tidiness she'd ripped out a handful of hair and had enough kindling to start a small campfire. As reward for such suffering she let herself to take her time in the shower. Spock's  _wonderful_ shower with its  _amazing_ water setting, (another perk she was eager to hang onto, apart from the Captain's, no other crew quarters had a water setting, just basic sonics), was difficult to drag herself away from. She washed herself, shampooed her tortured hair, and then spent five or ten minutes leaning against the wall and letting the water beat soothingly across her skin. She sighed.

It was so cold in space.

Being in cool recycled air 24/7 took its toll. It was very different to being in air-conditioning on Earth. Down on a planet you were always ducking outside for whatever reason, soaking up some vitamin D with a dose of sunshine. There was no respite from it on a ship. You found yourself longing for a breeze and the warmth of the sun on your skin.

Of course she'd gotten a big dose of sunshine down on the planet.

She wasn't quite sure  _how_  she felt about her and Spock's behaviour down on Omicron Ceti III. She'd  _thoroughly_  enjoyed herself, of that there was no doubt, but both she and Spock had been behaving so oddly, so far from the norm… it was  _embarrassing_. Like sobering up and slowly recalling drunken behaviour the night before. She'd convinced him to climb a tree. She'd…  _said_ things when they were making love that she'd never have said otherwise, been quite,  _demanding._ Not that he'd minded at all. She and Spock were very well suited to each other in regards to their preferences in the bedroom. Or in a meadow, a swimming hole or a forest for that matter. They'd been in indiscriminate in their locale. Something else the spores had brought out in them. Neither of them would have considered making love where anyone might stumble upon them so easily under normal circumstances. It had been  _fun_ though, acting like an impulsive child with Spock as her accomplice, that playfulness he usually kept well hidden taking the lead. Spock  _smiling. Laughing._

Nyota stretched at the pleasant memories. The water felt so good. She slid her hands over her skin and worked at the tense muscles in her shoulders. Perhaps Spock could do some of that Vulcan neuropressure stuff on her. The things he could do with his fingers… Her thoughts drifted away from perfectly respectable if somewhat sensual (in her opinion at least) therapeutic massage to just Spock touching her in general. His strong, warm hands sliding over her body, leaving trails of heat and tingling psi energy in their wake… Her hands slid over her body and she idly imagined they were his, that he'd joined her in the shower and -

The water was suddenly too warm.

Rinsing her hair quickly she dried off with the sonic setting and pulled on the robe she usually wore before bed. It was a Vulcan garment. One of several Spock's mother had gifted her from her sizable wardrobe before they'd left Earth. Lady Amanda had thought it prudent that she have appropriate Vulcan garb, seeing as how she was Spock's bondmate and a recognised member of his House and Clan -  _d'Vel'nahr (Vulcan by choice)_.

Spock rarely made comments upon her clothing. He had on occasion informed her that she was  _dan'vansurik (most-beautiful)_  but otherwise made no references to such illogical matters of aesthetics. She'd noted that when she wore Vulcan clothing he would touch her more often however - slide his fingers along hers or press his brow to hers. He liked to see her in robes, she could tell.

When she re-entered the living area he was still sitting before the asenoi like a figure carved from stone. She could feel him rising towards wakefulness however. In preparation she ordered meals for them from the replicator. Since the atmosphere was decidedly Vulcan, she chose one of the proffered Vulcan choices.  _Pre tarmeeli_  - a spicy curry-like dish they were both fond of. Spock only drank water with meals, but she ordered herself sweet tea. McCoy had gotten her to try it and she'd taking a liking to it. His favoured 'mint juleps' however – were  _foul._

Nyota walked over to Spock and stood beside him. She was struck again by how handsome he looked. Her fingers itched to trace the contours of his face and muss up his perfect hair. As if sensing her thoughts, (which he may well have), he blinked and turned to regard her with abrupt and complete attention. His eyes were very dark in the low light. Ridiculously, she felt her heart race a little and her breath caught in her throat. A wave if heat suffused her. She swallowed.  _'I ordered pre tarmeeli from the replicator.'_  she informed him in Vulcan.

He blinked, reached up, placed a hand on her hip and pushed her until, frowning, she allowed herself to be turned so she faced away from him. She shot him a confused look over her shoulder. His hand slid down her leg, warm and smooth against the silky robe, and she tried to ignore how pleasant it felt. Abruptly he tugged her behind the knee and she found herself sitting down suddenly and unexpectedly in his lap. A startled noise of surprise escaped her.

She looked back at him awkwardly. 'Spock?'

Spock wrapped an arm around her, pulled her into a more comfortable position between his legs, and promptly pressed the thumb and forefinger of his right hand into some magic spot at the base of her neck. Her confused inquiry turned into a moan of approval.

He responded to her vague questioning anyway, his breath warm on her neck as he spoke.

' _I was meditating upon the unusual effect the pod plant spore of Omicron Ceti III had upon my behaviour when I unexpectedly found myself instead cognizant of the fact that you were showering and were desirous of feeling my hands upon you.'_

As he spoke he deftly did… whatever it was he did, pressing points along her shoulders and neck that seemed to loosen muscles she hadn't even realised were tight. Her eyes fluttered shut and she felt herself slumping back towards him in a warm boneless mess. The rumble of his words sent a soft thrill through her. He had  _such_ a wonderful voice… The linguist in her appreciated his perfect form and enunciation and the woman in her didn't care what he was saying, just found that deep register incredibly attractive.

'Lower.' she instructed him vaguely. Compared to how loose and relaxed her neck and shoulders now felt, the rest of her back was suddenly tense. 'Please?'

Obligingly his fingers followed the line of her spine in precise movements. Her back arched and she found herself looking up at the bulkhead, her head rested against Spock's shoulder and his hand trapped between them. The ache of her tensed muscles were gone, replaced instead with an ache of a very different sort in another part of her anatomy. Judging from what she felt pressing against her backside and the low heat she felt through their bond, that particular ache was mutual.

She shifted intentionally so her body would rub against his. The silk of their robes slid between them, against her, with even the tiniest movement. Reaching back over her shoulder she twisted a hand into his hair, soft and thick between her fingers. His hand between them shifted and slid around her ribcage with a firm movement that had her breath catching slightly and then he was undoing her robe.

He leant forward, the stubble of his jaw a rough rasp against her cheek to look down at her body as it was revealed to him. She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry, and then shivered as he firmly traced the lines of her with warm hands. Soft noises came out of her mouth unconsciously. His fingertips traced along her collarbone before sliding down between her breasts, nails scratching ever so slightly. Nyota looked down as long pale fingers traced a nipple, already pebbled and hard with excitement, and then pinched. Heat twisted away from her breast down to where she already felt hot and wanting between her thighs. Her head fell back again and she bit her lip to stifle a moan. It was embarrassing how quickly she responded to him, how he could reduce her to a pleading mess in a matter of minutes while he remained aloof and detached.

She squirmed in Spock's lap so that the curve of her backside rubbed against him. The hand at her hip tightened, wrapping around her hip bone and pulling her back more firmly against him. Evidently this arrangement wasn't to Spock's satisfaction however and his thighs shifted beneath her, rearranging their bodies slightly, and then he was pressed right against her. Nyota let her body melt against him in a contraction of tension and utter relaxation. The feel of him, warm and hard through the cool silk of her robe was wonderful torture. Her hips twisted and circled of their own volition creating tempting rhythm between them that just made it worse. Or better. She was undecided.

She wanted to kiss him and pulled at his hair to signal her desire.

He turned towards her but instead of pressing his lips to hers he nuzzled against her cheek, not quite kissing and not quite biting, tasting her skin with lips and tongue. Heat flushed through her body and Nyota decided she could wait a few moments for a real kiss. She tilted her head in approval and he worked his way lower, using teeth now, nipping and rubbing his face along the line of her neck. Distracted with the Vulcan equivalent of lovebites, Nyota didn't realise his hands had moved until one ran up her thigh to press lightly against her folds in tingly shock. She moaned, loudly. Spock traced the line of her lightly, making her legs muscles clench and her back arch again, and then pressed fingers more firmly against her so that they slipped into the warmth between.

The heat of his long fingers carefully explored her, spreading her wetness up and over that most sensitive of places. Her brain melted. She twisted her fingers in his hair and pressed herself against him shamelessly, her legs falling apart and her hips rising.

' _Spohkh!'_

She could feel the tempting hardness of him beneath her, feel his hot breath fanning down across her neck and breasts. He was bent forward, staring down at his hands on her. He slid a hand slid up along her side to firmly cup her left breast as the fingers between her legs circled and pressed with excruciating slowness. It was a struggle to stay still. Her body twisted in his arms, her hands touching him wherever she could - reaching back to tangle in his hair and run across his face, to the side to dig nails into his thighs and up to clutch at his shoulders. His fingers moved against her, mercilessly drawing out her pleasure. She whined. He was intentionally using a slower touch, a gentler pressure than that which would be needed to bring her to climax and she could tell he was doing it intentionally. She tried to restrain herself, but after several long minutes she rolled her face towards him and spoke into his skin,

' _Thonaya nash-veh adun du! (husband you torment this-one)!'_  she pleaded.

He ignored her, continuing his wonderful  _terrible_  attentions. She could feel her words pleased him however. For all his supposed Vulcan logic and control, he was still such a...  _man..._ wanting her to beg for him. She restrained the urge to roll her eyes and dutifully played along.

' _sanoi! (please)'_  she begged.

He made a tiny huffing noise, as if her request was really putting him out, but relented, the movement of his fingers increasing into a rhythm that had Nyota voicing her approval with vague wordless moans. She didn't make any effort to control the contortions of her body or the noises coming from her throat, her lack of control excited her husband and at any rate she was too far gone to care what she looked like. She felt it approaching, the crest of pleasure he'd been withholding from her and her body locked up, her thighs clenching around his hand as it neared. His hand on her hip was suddenly on her left thigh, digging into the soft flesh and yanking her legs apart once more as the hand on her slipped down from the sensitive bundle of nerves it had been stimulating to curl two long fingers inside her body. It was pleasant, made her moan, but it not what she needed. Why had he stopped?

She turned her head, spoke pleadingly against Spock's jaw. 'Spock!'

He ignored her, his fingers slowly plunging in and out of her, maintaining her need but doing nothing to satisfy it. The hot giddy thrum of her arousal was unbearable, pushed against her. She was  _so_ close. Without thinking she shoved her own hand down against herself and moaned as she got the sensation she was craving. Combined with Spock's fingers inside her it felt amazing. She pressed, circled, was seconds away from feeling her body clench in release around his fingers, and then he was growling, a steely grip around her wrist pulling her hand away from her body.

' _Do not.'_  he ordered her, his voice low.

She whined, pulling at him in their bond. He wasn't being  _fair_!

' _A'fic nash-vesh du dungi (You will obey this-one).'_ he continued.

His words managed to both annoy the hell out of her and simultaneously send a renewed wave of desire through her _. 'Ha Spohkh! Hi sanoi! (Yes Spock! But please!)_ ' she begged.

Seemingly satisfied Nyota found Spock's hands against her body once more, not quite as teasing as earlier, but still intentionally tormenting her. She felt as if he'd keep her teetering on the edge for hours. In her lust addled mind something occurred to her. Even though they were touching, there was only the haziest of telepathic connections between them. Spock's fingertips were occupied with other things. Ignoring the slight connection she felt, Nyota reached out towards Spock purely through their bond, the  _tel'esta_  such as he had used earlier from the planet to call her to him.

It was meant to be used over a distance, but it seemed to work just as well in proximity. Better even. Their bond flared into sudden white glowing heat between them, her lust and desire flooding it. Spock froze against her as if he'd been carved from molten granite. His breath stuttered against her neck and one of his hands dragged up wetly along her stomach to wrap possessively around her hipbone. She could feel his teeth and tongue where he rubbed himself against her face and neck. A low growling noise filled the air between them. She had his  _complete_  attention.

It was easy for Nyota to form words for her need, to send them across the connection and into his mind. Since Vulcan didn't offer her the vocabulary she felt appropriate, she used standard.  _/Spohkh!_   _Fuck me!/_  she ordered.

He shuddered. Snarled deep in his throat. Nyota let go of the  _tel'esta_  and the bond faded from a white hot torrent to the normal, gentle connection they shared, but she felt that strange compulsion it always left her with, the need to join their minds. She was torturing herself as much as Spock.

He shoved her forward so she sprawled on the floor on her stomach, her robe tangled around her. She tried to get her arms underneath herself but found them yanked behind her back as Spock took hold of her robe, pulling it down her back so they were trapped in a tangle of silk at the elbows. Then he was on her, the heavy weight of him crushing her. He grabbed her and shoved her robe up before grabbing at her hips. He shifted and she felt him, hard and hot, slipping wetly against her. She groaned, whined, pushed back against him, her cheek pressed to the course material of the mat and then he was shoving himself roughly inside her.

She wailed in the exquisite agony of the moment, the hot slide of him inside her  _so_  much better than his fingers. He snarled again, deep and Vulcan and the noise made her whimper. He bit at her shoulder as he fucked her, the heat of his mouth wet against her skin as his teeth scraped and gripped until he found a convenient spot on her shoulder blade to mark her in earnest.

Nyota screamed, the mixture of pleasure and pain and the needy compulsion of the  _tel'esta_  burning inside her. More.  _'Weht Spohkh! Weht! (More Spock! More)'_

His chest vibrated against her back. He shoved an arm under her and sat back on his knees, still buried deep inside her, so Nyota was once more in his lap. Her robe was a tangle between them but neither of them paid it any mind. Spock was able to penetrate her deeper from the new angle and wasted no time in do so. He pulled at her roughly, his body slamming violently against hers. With her arms trapped between them she couldn't even hang on. She wailed and moaned at the intensity of what she felt. Spock's teeth caught at her shoulder, her neck, where ever he could reach her, his tongue lathing the marks he left on her skin. Her head lolled back. She felt like she was being burnt alive, consumed by him, and it still wasn't enough. He shifted his grip on her hip, pulled her closer and suddenly he was stroking that place inside that made her scream. It was too much. Her body froze, locked up in blissful agony and she came. And came. And came - her muscles pulsing and flexing around the steel rod of Spock inside her.

Spock faltered, groaned in her ear, sounding almost human for a moment. Her breath came out in a whoosh as her wits returned to her in the warm afterglow of her orgasm. For a moment Spock was still, and then he shoved her forwards once more and resumed his punishing pace. Nyota held on for dear life. He forced another orgasm out of her then paused long enough to strip them of their robes before he was on top of her again, the bunt shape of his cock still rock hard against her. It took longer for him to coax a third orgasm from her, and this time she was aware enough to realise he was intentionally holding himself back.

Her body ached in a confusing mix of intense pleasure and increasing discomfort. Her hands gripped him desperately, nails digging into his flesh as she pleaded with him. She wasn't sure if she was pleading for him to stop or begging him not to. The friction between their bodies was becoming uncomfortable but she couldn't bring herself to care, he was stroking that deep place inside her, bringing her a jolt of pleasure on each stroke. Abruptly he stopped, pulled himself from her and she whined despite herself.

His mouth trailed down from her neck to her breasts. He ran his tongue over a nipple before pulling it into his mouth and sucking firmly, sending a jerking arrow of pleasure through her limp body. Nyota moaned and buried her hands in his hair.

He sunk lower, rubbing his face against her body, licking and pressing teeth into her skin down her ribs and over her stomach. Her muscles quivered and twitched beneath him and then she felt his tongue against her. His stubble rasped against the smooth skin of her thighs as her knees bent, raising her legs and bringing him closer to her core. He lathed the wet heat of his tongue against her, both soothing and tormenting her.

She melted into the floor, surrendering to the sensations he was drawing out of her body. Off to her right, past her out stretched arm, the asenoi burnt. She stared at the twisting flames as Spock licked and sucked her. She could almost imagine his tongue  _was_ flame lapping against her. Or perhaps she was the flame, twisting and curling beneath him. Her thoughts were groggy with the tel'esta. In minutes she was awash in renewed desire, her body readying itself in wet heat for him once more. Nyota twisted on the floor, her head rolling back and forth as he brought her to the precipice of climax again and kept her there. He was paying her back for using the  _tel'esta,_ she was certain of it.

' _Ashayam, sanoi. (beloved, please) Nash-veh bolau tu. (this-one needs you).'_  she pleaded.

He looked up at her words, his eyes meeting hers darkly. By way of response he curled two fingers inside her, pressed his mouth against her clitoris and sucked.

Nyota's thighs wrapped around his head and her back arched off the ground.

' _Spohkhhh...'_  she drew the word out, emphasising her need.

Abruptly he pulled himself from her and settled himself between her thighs. His hand slid up her leg to curl around her calf and she found herself folded in half beneath the crushing weight of him, one leg over his shoulder the other wrapped around his hips. She whimpered as the hard length of him filled her all over again. His eyelids dropped for a few seconds and he groaned at the sensation.

Seeing him so unguarded fascinated her. She reached up to press fingers to his jaw, his cheek, his bottom lip. His skin was flushed a faint green along his cheekbones and his hair was shoved back from his face, emphasising the long sweep of his dark brows. The expression on his face was almost pained. His face rolled to the side following her touch, his lips chasing her fingers.

' _Spohkh.'_  she almost whispered, and his eyes snapped open to meet her own. They were still dark with lust, smouldering with heat, but tempered. His hips moved against hers and her head rolled back at the slow slide of him inside her, her breath catching. He held her gaze with his own and Nyota found herself powerless to pull from it. Closer. She wanted him closer. Curling her hand around his cheek she tugged him towards her. With a sigh he acquiesced, leaning forward to press his face against hers. The contact brought their thoughts temptingly closer, but not close enough. Spock paused, rolled them so that she was perched on top of him. Automatically her hips swivelled, lifted and ground against him.

He reached up and she pressed her face into the curve of his palm. Hot fingers pressed into her cheek and temple and then they were one, their minds blending into one burning flame. She shuddered and gasped at the sensation. His unsatisfied lust rippled through her. She braced herself against his chest and impaled herself sharply upon him. A hot wave of pleasure reflected between them and they groaned.

Nyota rode him in hard, long strokes, lifting herself with a speed that made her thighs burn. He bucked beneath her, hips rising to meet her. He was so close, she could feel it beating against her, like a ball of heat inside her. Turning her head slightly she found his thumb and drew it into her mouth, moaned around it. She met his eyes as she rolled her hips and ran a hand up the line of her body to massage her right breast, knowing the sight would affect him. It did.

He sat up and was suddenly kissing her frantically. She groaned into his mouth, pulling at his hair and curling her tongue against his. She kept up the movement of her hips but apparently it wasn't enough for him since he tumbled her onto her back again, his hips snapping forward in fast hard movements. She turned her head, broke their kiss and offered the length of her neck to him. She felt his sudden desire,  _compulsion_ through their melded minds, and then he bit her. Not hard enough to break the skin, but enough to leave a mark. She moaned at the wonderful mind numbing confusion of all she felt. They felt. Deep satisfaction, pleasure, lust, need and beneath it all a tiny thread of pain that made it all the more powerful. She heard his words inside her head claiming ownership of her.  _/Nyota t'nash-veh/_

She replied in the affirmative without even giving it any thought, whispering into his ear.  _'Nash-veh t'du_.'  _(this-one is yours)_

His body tensed and faltered and she felt him throb with in her. The crushing wave of his orgasm smothered her through the mind meld and she distantly felt her body pulse and clutch at him as she was likewise wracked with pleasure. She wrapped arms and legs alike around him, holding him close as she gasped and shuddered.

It took a long while for her mind and body to calm themselves.

At length he spoke from where his face was pressed against her shoulder. 'Do not reach for me with the tel'esta in such a manner without forewarning me Nyota.'

He didn't sound angry, but she could tell he wasn't exactly pleased with her. He was right of course. It was hardly fair. But still.

'I'm sorry, but if you hadn't tormented me until I was nearly deranged with lust I wouldn't have.' she replied only  _slightly_  defensively.

He hummed against her, neither in agreement or disagreement. A very vague vocalisation for him. 'So impatient.' he remarked at length. 'Such a demanding woman.'

She sniffed. 'I'm sure I don't know what you mean.'


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lamb's Ear and I are *pretty* sure we got all the typos, but I've rewritten this chapter a lot so I've probably missed some.

 

**  
Spock**

The door to his quarters chimed.

Spock rose from his desk to answer it. He had been reviewing the preliminary tricorder scan readings of the Omicron Pod Plants prepared by the biology lab. They were undoubtedly one of the more fascinating forms of plantlife he'd ever encountered.

He triggered the door mechanism, expecting to find either Jim Kirk or Gaila U'Aidat behind it. When Leila Kalomi was revealed he felt a disconcerting mix of mild panic and embarrassment, neither of which he showed on his face of course.

Ms Kalomi was no longer dressed in her overalls, but simple terran clothing similar to the style of those she had habitually worn when she had lived on Earth. Replicated undoubtedly. Spock blinked.

'Ms Kalomi.' he offered in greeting.

'Spock.' she returned.

There was silence for a period of 4.7 seconds.

'May I be of assistance?' Spock inquired.

The woman licked her lips in a nervous gesture. 'Can I come in? I'd like to speak to you if that's okay.'

Spock did not particularly wish to play host to Ms Kalomi, but a conversation in the middle of the corridor was not a viable option.

'Very well.' he replied, stepping back and to the side so she could enter.

She offered him a small smile and made her way into the centre of the living area of his quarters, looking around with apparent interest at the decor of the room. 'Your Vulcan Harp.' she remarked pointing to his ka'athyra where it was hung on the wall. 'Do you still play?'

Spock raised an eyebrow at the illogical question. If he did not play, he would not have retained the instrument. 'Yes.' he replied diplomatically.

Ms Kalomi smiled at him again before continuing her perusal of his belongings. She paused in front of the shelves which lined one of the walls and inspected the various books and other items stored within. She picked up a carved Chinese incense holder shaped like dragon, adjusted a set of Bajoran figurines in the style of Topek and moved a rook on his three dimensional chess board. As he was in the midst of a game with Jim Kirk Spock crossed to stand beside her and returned the piece to its original position. Ms Kalomi then triggered a small holo display unit containing images of his mother. Her curiosity was mildly irritating. She had said she wished to speak to him, not inspect his quarters and rummage through his belongings.

'She's very beautiful.' she remarked in a tight voice.

Spock glanced at the holo. It was a picture of his mother at a diplomatic function of some sort. She was wearing an attractive terran evening gown and did, indeed, look very beautiful. The date indicated it had been taken before her marriage to his father, most likely when she had been tutoring him in conversational English.

'Yes she is.' he agreed blandly.

'Where is she?' Ms Kalomi inquired oddly.

Spock raised an eyebrow. 'She is on New Vulcan.'

Leila Kalomi's eyebrows furrowed towards her nose. 'But she's human.'

'There are many non-Vulcans living upon the Confederacy's new home planet. The terra-forming and construction has provided much work for skilled individuals.' he indicated his mother once more, ' _She_  is on New Vulcan because her husband is Vulcan however.'

Her eyebrows smoothed and raised as her eyes widened in apparent shock.

' _Husband?!'_

Spock suspected she was making assumptions that were highly inaccurate.

'I fail to see how the fact that my parents are married is shocking to you Ms Kalomi.'

She exhaled sharply through her nostrils. ' _Oh._ Your  _parents._ ' She looked back at the holo. 'So that's your mother? She's  _very_ beautiful.' She delivered the sentiment far more sincerely than she had 58 seconds previously.

'Of what did you wish to speak Ms Kalomi?' he inquired.

She sighed and turned the holo display off before turning to face him with her lips pursed. 'I wished to apologise.' she said vaguely.

'I can think of no behaviour which warrants an apology.' he returned uncertainly.

She raised an eyebrow. 'I tricked you into the influence of the spores.' she offered by way of clarification.

'You yourself were under their hold. Your cognitive functions were impaired. Your apology is unnecessary.'

She smiled. 'I knew you'd say that. You haven't changed at all Spock.'

Spock blinked. He had hoped her familiarity had been a result of the spores. It appeared that was not entirely the case.

Ms Kalomi bit her lip and glanced about the room in what Spock interpreted as nervousness. 'Who was she?' she asked continuing her theme of vague conversation. 'Was it just the spores?'

'I am uncertain as to your meaning.' Spock replied.

She met his eyes with an expression of irritation or perhaps anger. 'The woman you were... with.' she swallowed. 'The Lieutenant that beamed down to you.'

'She is Lieutenant Nyota Uhura.' Spock offered. He was uncertain where her line of inquiry was going, but had a premonition that it would be decidedly uncomfortable.

Ms Kalomi sniffed. 'You love her?'

Whilst he had been perfectly happy to answer the same question when under the sway of the spores, he now found such a personal inquiry impossible to reply to. 'Ms Kalomi, I have no desire to discuss my personal life in such a manner.' If she was truly as familiar with him as she seemed to believe, she would be well aware of that fact.

She made another sniffing noise. 'She's the Chief Communications Officer.' she observed.

'That is correct.' Spock replied warily.

'And she was your  _teaching aide_.' she added in an accusatory tone. 'Your  _student.'_

Spock restrained the urge to purse his lips in annoyance. 'Yes.'

Leila Kalomi nodded. 'I asked around about her, but there are only rumours about you two. Hardly anyone seems to give them any credence.'

'Ms Kalomi, if the sole purpose of your visit is to make unwelcome inquires into my personal life I must ask you to leave.' Spock stated evenly.

'There was a time when  _I_ was your personal life!' she said, her voice increasing markedly in volume and rising in pitch.

Spock regarded her in confusion. 'I do not understand your meaning.'

She crossed to stand too close to him. Spock stepped backwards to alleviate his discomfort. She was looking up at him with a highly emotional expression on her face. He was concerned she might try to touch him and clasped his hands behind his back accordingly. 'I waited Spock. I waited all this time for you to come! I waited and waited and when you  _finally_ came, you brought  _her!'_

Spock was aware that his face was most likely displaying indicators of his surprise and discomfort and made an effort to smooth it. He was entirely at a loss as to how to handle the position he found himself in. 'Your behaviour is highly illogical Ms Kalomi.' he said.

She laughed shortly. 'Of course it is! Human women are highly illogical.  _You_ should know that very well Mr Spock!'

Perhaps a clear statement reflecting his interpretation of the situation would prove sufficient to calm her. 'Ms Kalomi, if I have caused you emotional distress in some manner, I assure you I was unaware of this fact and it was certainly not my intention.'

She sobbed loudly.

Spock's eyes widened slightly. It appeared she was on the verge of  _crying._  He had no idea how to resolve the situation. If she were his mother or his wife he would attempt to offer comfort, with a  _hug_  or similar human gesture despite his own discomfort, but Leila Kalomi was an acquaintance, not a close family member. To his immense relief he did not have to attempt to come to any sort of compromise. The door to the bedroom slid open and Nyota stepped into the living room.

Leila Kalomi spun to look at her and made a loud gasping noise, evidently one of shock or perhaps dismay. Certainly not a vocalisation indicative of happiness.

Nyota was wearing a neatly fastened robe but was barefoot and her hair hung in a wild tangle. It was exceedingly apparent that she had only just arisen from rest. In Spock's bed. It was cowardly, but Spock hoped that fact would prove sufficient to inspire Leila Kalomi to calm herself and leave. Nyota looked between them in confusion. 'Miss Kalomi?' Nyota greeted her uncertainly. Observing the other woman's obvious distress she frowned and added 'Are you alright?'

Ms Kalomi wiped her eyes and waved a hand dismissively. 'I'm fine.'

Nyota gave Spock a confused look, pulling at him through their bond to emphasis her point. He twitched his left eyebrow to indicate his shared mystification.

'I'm just an idiot.' Ms Kalomi continued. The woman gave Spock one last look he did not understand and turned and ran from the room.

Spock stared at the door after it had closed behind her in confusion. He had not been so confused by the actions of a human since his days as a cadet.

Nyota tilted her head. 'Poor woman.' she observed with less compassion than was her norm.

'I am confused as to the source of her distress.' Spock said. 'Her behaviour was entirely irrational.'

Nyota crossed her arms and Spock felt amusement and another emotion from her. It was something like irritation. 'Really.' she said sarcastically. 'You have  _no_ idea why she was so upset?

'She... did appear to have an unexpectedly...  _deep_  emotional attachment to me given the perfunctory nature of our previous acquaintance.' Spock admitted.

Nyota was silent for a long moment before responding. 'For future reference Spock, the only woman with a deep emotional attachment to you that you should let into your personal quarters is  _me.'_

Spock pondered her words, tone and what he felt through their bond. He crossed to stand beside her and took her hand in his. She pouted slightly and looked up at him from under her eyelashes. A novel thought occurred to him. 'You are experiencing jealousy.' He felt something like excitement at the thought.

She huffed and frowned. 'No I am not!' she insisted, but Spock found himself sceptical as to the accuracy of her claim.

He twisted his fingers against hers, letting his thoughts slip against hers. He plucked at the unfamiliar annoyed feeling she was experiencing. 'Perhaps you could then explain this emotion to me? I have not felt it from you previously.' He probed the feeling curiously. He had not felt human jealousy before. He was quite familiar with his own Vulcan equivalent however. Nyota managed to inspire it within him with some regularity.

She pouted again and inexplicably the feeling faded.  _'Maybe_  I'm a little jealous.' she admitted. 'It's not unreasonable.' she continued defensively. 'She  _is_  very beautiful.'

For some reason he could not quantify, her reaction pleased him.

She smiled and shook her head, pulling at the odd prideful pleasure he was attempting to suppress through the connection of their fingers. 'There's no need to be so  _smug_  Spock.' she told him and he felt her amusement.

* * *

 

They remained in orbit of Omicron Ceti III for a further 37.3 hours. The colonists, once freed of the influence of the spores, chose to return to the ship, and sanity, over the 'Paradise' offered on the planet below. The  _Enterprise_ was no passenger ship but it was able to accommodate the 150 colonists with minimal impact to the crew. Two days later they disembarked at Starbase 27, their stated intention to found a new colony somewhere else. Spock was pleased that Leila Kalomi made no further effort to seek him out. The thought of additional interaction with her was… mortifying.

As for his time on Omicron Ceti III, he found he had mixed feelings with regards to the experience. Whilst he did not on any level wish to consider a return to the planet and the influence of the spores, he admitted to himself that the novel experience, the 'euphoria' and the total contentment he had experienced had been… intriguing. It was disconcerting to recall his highly illogical behaviour, but at the time it had certainly not been unpleasant, it had in fact, been quite entertaining.

He had experienced several things that it was highly unlikely he would have undertaken under any other circumstances. Surak taught that  _Eik-veshtaya to'ovau kau - lu veshtaya ri glazhau goh na'kastorilaya t'kashan (Wide experience increases wisdom - provided the experience is not sought purely for the stimulation of sensation), a_ nd since Spock had not sought out the influence of the spores, his bizarre experiences under its effects were not things he felt he should feel any particular regret about, no matter how illogical.

He had climbed a tree for no particular reason save that Nyota had suggested it. Mapping out suitable routes between the limbs had been oddly satisfying.

He had dived off a cliff at no small risk of injury 16 times purely because the sensation of free-fall and the shock of the cool water below was 'fun'.

He and Nyota had played children's games. Chasing and hiding from one another with immature abandon.

He had laughed. Many times. He had not kept count.

He had been… happy in a way a Vulcan could never be. Even the oppressive fog of  _Va'pak_  had seemed very far away.

Of course the experience, no matter how fascinating, had obvious downsides. He'd been observed behaving in a decidedly undignified manner. Captain Kirk, Ensign DeSalle and Ensign Hendorff had seen he and Nyota running through the forest in their undergarments. This was hardly appropriate behaviour for two of the  _Enterprise's_  most senior bridge crew.

And naturally the fact that Kirk and Hendorff had been privy to a decidedly intimate interaction between Nyota and himself was highly distressing. They'd seen them kissing. Embracing.

Nyota was equally embarrassed. She was also highly annoyed that James Kirk had seen her in her underwear.  _Again._  Spock himself was certainly not pleased by that fact. He was well aware of his Captain's attraction to his wife. Kirk's eyes often lingered on the more shapely features of Nyota's anatomy and he sometimes 'flirted' with her, though his wife was gratifyingly blunt in her dismissal of his attentions.

No comments were made by either of the Ensigns or the Captain over the weeks that followed however, and Spock was hopefully that the entire incident would never be spoken of. There had been much amused gossip amidst the crew after the events that occurred on Omicron Ceti III - it seemed that most of those affected had done something amusing or embarrassing – and as such there was plenty to entertain the crew and prevent any curiosity with regards to what he and Nyota had been doing.

The most talked about incident involved Dr McCoy and Ensign U'Aidat. They'd apparently spent several hours in some sort of Orion dancing ritual then gotten themselves married in the Terran tradition. Lieutenant Commander Scott, who had been left in command of the  _Enterprise_  when the Captain and the original landing party had beamed down, had officiated the ceremony. The general consensus was that the wedding was therefore legal.

Although the Captain and Nyota seemed to find the situation exceedingly amusing, it was plain that both Doctor McCoy and Ensign U'Aidat did not share their enthusiasm. They had appeared on the bridge together 6 days out of Omicron Ceti III and demanded Kirk divorce them, if in fact they  _were_  married. The Captain had, quite correctly, informed them that whilst it was in his power to marry couples, divorces had to be lodged with a Federation Registry Office, and they  _were_  legally married.

The matter settled for the time being, it verified that Gaila U'Aidat and Leonard McCoy were actually married, Spock had only thought it only proper and logical to address her as such. However her reaction to his polite reference to her as 'Ensign McCoy' when next conversation had warranted it had not been as he expected.

She had voiced her extreme dislike for the name and had stopped speaking to him. Nyota informed him that she had gotten so upset because many had followed his example and started referring to her by her married name to antagonise her.

It was therefore something of a shock when the aforementioned Ensign took a seat opposite him in the deck D refectory 35.3 days since she had last engaged in any sort of social interaction with him. Spock looked up at her from his bowl of replicated balkra in query.

'Well I hope you're happy with yourself Commander.' she remarked in what seemed to be a quite unfriendly tone.

Spock raised an eyebrow and waited for her to elaborate.

'Someone updated all my personnel files. My routing address, my commission, my  _meal card_. They are all under 'Gaila McCoy' now.' she glared across her bowl of spiced Kolari stew at him. 'They even officially reassigned us both to shared quarters. With 'Leonard  & Gaila McCoy – Newlyweds' on the door's nameplate.' She sounded decidedly displeased by this turn of events.

'I take it this was all done without you or Dr McCoy's knowledge Ensign?' Spock inquired.

'Of  _course!_ ' she replied.

'I must apologise if you believe my reference to you as 'Ensign McCoy' instigated these… pranks. I assure you, I was not attempting to 'tease' you, merely address you correctly.' Spock replied. He did not feel that he should have to offer apologies, he had not done anything save call her by her legal name, but he could appreciate that doing so had perhaps resulted in interferences into the Cadet's personal life.

Ensign McC-U'Aidat huffed. 'I suppose I believe you.' she replied. 'Nyota says you weren't trying to be funny, that you're just clueless, but I'm just so angry! Everyone thinks it's a big joke but it's not funny! Leonard and I weren't even really  _dating_  and now we're apparently married?!'

Spock tilted his head. It appeared the Ensign wished for advice, or perhaps commiseration? He tried to think what Nyota might have said in such a situation. 'I am certain the Doctor will not attempt to hold you to your marriage. We are scheduled to stop at Starbase 12 in 2 months' time. You will be able to annul or divorce the Doctor then.' He paused. 'Perhaps given time this unlikely series of events will provide both you and Doctor McCoy with a 'humorous anecdote' to reminisce upon.'

'It's so embarrassing though! The whole crew knows!' she replied.

'I am sure a new piece of gossip will soon eclipse that of your marriage Ensign.' Spock assured her.

She nodded and fell silent, turning her attention to her stew.

Spock continued to consume his meal, pleased the uncomfortable topic of conversation appeared to be exhausted.

'Leonard would want never marry someone like me, not really.' the Ensign added after a period of 2.3 minutes of silence. 'He doesn't want some 'Orion floozy'.'

Spock frowned at her. It was most unlike the Ensign to speak in such a manner. She was usually exceedingly…  _confident_  in her self-worth and of her personal appeal. He was uncertain of the correct response to such a statement. She had made plain her dissatisfaction with her marriage to Doctor McCoy and yet her last statement implied this dissatisfaction was perhaps more to do with her perceived belief that the Doctor did not wish her for a mate. Spock felt decidedly ill-equipped to be having such a discussion.

Before he could devise a satisfactory response the ship's intercom interrupted their conversation.

' _This is the Captain Speaking. Commander Spock report to the bridge.'_

Spock restrained the urge to sigh in relief and instead rose to his feet, taking his half-finished meal tray with him. He offered Ensign U'Aidat a nod in parting. 'If you will excuse me Ensign.'

She lifted her chin in a casual gesture. 'Commander.' she replied in farewell.

It was the middle of the Beta shift - the early morning hours of the artificial day/night cycle of the ship. As was his usual custom, Spock had left Nyota asleep in his quarters to partake of a small meal and spend a few hours in the Science Laboratories working upon his personal projects. In just 7 months they had already encountered many fascinating lifeforms. He was currently studying several of the more intriguing specimens he had bought aboard. It was therefore not unusual for him to be awake at such an hour. For the Captain to be on the bridge however would mean he had been awoken especially. Something unusual must have occurred.

Jim Kirk was sitting in the command chair, the beta shift crew at their stations around him. He met Spock's face as soon as he exited the turbolift.

'Knew you'd be up and about Commander.' he remarked pointlessly.

'Indeed.' Spock replied. 'What may I assist you with Captain?'

Kirk gestured at the communications console. 'Take a listen to the distress call we just received would you Spock?'

'Certainly Captain.' Spock replied making his way to the indicated console. The Beta shift Communications Officer, Lieutenant Hawkins, handed him an earpiece and cued the recording.

It was in Vuhlkansu. A native speaker without doubt and from the tone and words, a refugee of Old Vulcan rather than a colonist or  _V'tosh ka'tur (Vulcan without logic)._  The message was short. Their vessel had been damaged, they were stranded without warp capabilities and with dwindling power. They requested aid.

'It would appear to be a rather straight forward distress call Captain.' he remarked out loud. 'The accent implied a Vulcan native to  _Kwil'Inor.'_

'So definitely a  _Vulcan_  then Mr Spock? Not a Romulan?' the Captain inquired.

'The probability of a Romulan choosing to impersonate an accent particular to a very small region of  _Han'Shir_  rather than one of the more common accents of  _Na'nam_  such as those of _Kir_  or _Raal_ , and being able to do so successfully, would indeed be very small Captain.' he replied.

The Captain nodded. 'Helmsman, plot an intercept course to the Vulcan ship.' He spun his chair. 'Hawkins, let them know we're on our way.'

'Yes sir.'

'Course plotted Captain.'

'Warp factor 7, let's not leave them hanging.'

'Aye Captain. Arrival at co-ordinates in 12 minutes at warp 7.' replied the Helmsman, overlaying a timer in the corner of the viewscreen.

'Ensign inform the crew.' Kirk directed Chekov's beta shift counterpart.

'Aye sir.' the young Andorian in the navigator's chair replied

'Spock get Scotty and arrange a maintenance crew to beam over and see to the ship. Include some security and take McCoy in case anyone was injured when their ship was damaged.' Kirk ordered returning his attention back to him.

'Very well sir.' Spock replied.

He spent the intervening period making those arrangements. He felt Nyota awaken when the Andorian Ensign made her address over the ship's intercom. She reached to him, her thoughts drowsy but curious. She had been feeling ill earlier in the evening but appeared recovered. Her speedy recovery did not surprise Spock. She had claimed a stomach virus was circulating amidst the crew, but Spock thought the fact that she'd eaten a large serving of Deltan Fudge cake and a disturbing terran beverage called a 'lime float' that consisting of a near fluorescent green carbonated drink and ice-cream as her evening meal was perhaps the more likely cause.

He sent her back his own muted interest and gratification that her 'illness' had been fleeting. She appeared on the bridge eight minutes later, in uniform and neatly presented as if she had not been deeply asleep minutes earlier and certainly not as if she had been regurgitating the disturbingly  _green_ contents of her stomach six hours before that.

'Captain, can I be of any assistance?' she inquired.

Kirk nodded. 'Help Hawkins out Lieutenant. Your Vulcan might come in handy.'

'Yes sir.' she replied. Save a small glance in his direction her behaviour was as admirably professional as always.

Doctor McCoy appeared on the bridge 38 seconds later. In contrast to Nyota, the Doctor did indeed look like he had just awoken.

'Dammit Jim! Can't a man get any sleep around here!' he demanded of the Captain with his usual disregard for protocol.

'Did I drag you from the arms of your loving wife Bones? I gotta say, marriage certainly hasn't mellowed you any.' the Captain replied with equal disrespect.

The Doctor glared, his face reddening in a blush. 'It was  _you_  wasn't it?! You approved that damned requisition order for new quarters!'

'Of course I did Bones!' the Captain replied with a smile. 'Who am I to stand in the way of true love? I thought the request for the personalised doorplate was a nice touch by the way.' He leant back in his chair raised his hands to sketch the line of a sign between them. ' _Leonard and Gaila McCoy – Newlyweds.'_  he said. 'I bet that got you some brownie points with the Missus.'

The Doctor spluttered, words evidently failing him due to the level of his irritation. Spock commiserated with him to a certain extent. James Kirk could be a uniquely antagonising individual. He could feel Nyota's amusement at the exchange. He shot her a glance and she smiled and bit her lip.

'The next time you end up on my Biobed shot full of holes, I might just forget the anaesthetic hypo Jim.' the doctor threatened darkly.

'Aw, come on Bones! I'm only kidding.' he replied. 'Since that request for new quarters came from  _your_  personal computer, naturally I assumed it was from you.'

Doctor McCoy regarded him suspiciously. 'Really? Someone sent it from my quarters?'

'Yep. You might want to check your security settings there Bones, because I  _know_  a senior officer such as yourself wouldn't do anything so silly as say, leave his computer logged in and forget to lock his door…'

From Kirk's tone of voice, Spock gathered that this was precisely what the Captain thought had occurred. By acting on the submitted request form, (or perhaps submitting it himself? Spock could not put such an action past the Captain), he had perhaps taught the Doctor a valuable lesson in security. No doubt McCoy would be more careful in future.

Doctor McCoy coughed. 'Of course not!'

Even Spock could tell he was lying.

'Arriving at co-ordinates in 10 seconds Captain.' the helmsman called across the bridge.

Spock walked to an empty tactical console and observed the viewscreen in interest as they exited warp. The ship which was visible nearby was indeed of Vulcan manufacture. A commercial transport and passenger vessel. He ran scanners on it by habit.

'Scanners indicate emergency life support function only on the Vulcan ship sir.' he informed the Captain. 'No sign of obvious damage. A mechanical fault would be the likely cause.'

'Picking up lifeforms?' the Captain inquired.

'Yes Captain, there appears to be a full crew and a complement of passengers aboard.' Spock replied.

'They aren't responding to our hails Captain, I think their communications are out.' Lieutenant Hawkins informed Kirk.

'They might still be receiving even if they can't respond. Inform them we're beaming a team over Hawkins.' he replied before glancing back towards Spock. 'Take your team and report back on the situation over there Mr Spock.' he ordered.

'Affirmative Captain.' Spock said. He turned to face the Doctor. 'Doctor, our team awaits us in Transporter Room 2.'

McCoy sighed. 'Fine let's get this over with.'

Spock spared Nyota a long look as the doors of the turbolift cycled closed in front of them. As always when he departed the ship she sent him a wave of affection through their bond and a small smile. He found it to be a satisfactory farewell.

The doctor was clearly agitated. Spock was uncertain what motivated him to speak, but he found himself doing so, despite his distaste at involving himself in personal matters. 'Doctor, earlier this evening Ensign U'Aidat expressed agitation in keeping with your own with regards to the situation you find yourselves in.'

'You don't say Commander.' Doctor McCoy replied in apparent irritation.

'Since it is evident that you are both in agreement on the matter of your marriage, I am at a loss as to the source of your continuing difficulties.' Spock remarked.

Doctor McCoy glared at him. 'She  _hates_  the idea of marriage Spock. The situation itself makes her angry. This latest joke has made her furious. I bet it was Jim. Sneaky bastard.' The man sighed. 'The last thing I wanted was  _another_  ex-wife.' He sounded… displeased. Not only angry and irritated, but perhaps, disappointed.

Spock suddenly got the impression that perhaps the situation between U'Aidat and McCoy was more complicated then it appeared. He recalled the Ensign's words earlier that evening.

'Have you discussed this with the Ensign?' Spock inquired as they exited the turbolift and began towards the transporter room. Owing to it being in the midst of the ship's night cycle, the halls were for the most part deserted.

'Spock, I am not taking relationship advice from _you_  of all people.' McCoy replied.

'Seeing as how 18.9 months ago I was in a markedly similar situation to that which you currently find yourself in, that is perhaps, unwise.' he responded.

McCoy shot him a sharp glance. 'What?'

'You are aware that I am married.' Spock remarked.

'Yes.' McCoy agreed warily.

'That came to be though a series of events as unlikely as those that resulted in your own marriage.' Spock said. 'I was not actually aware I was betrothed until months after the fact. I made assumptions that proved to be highly inaccurate with regards to my wife's opinion on our unexpected association. I suspect you have done the same.'

'What are you talking about?' the Doctor demanded.

'The Ensign made a comment to the effect that you would never desire her for a wife, and appeared quite displeased with that fact. From your tone I wonder if she was incorrect in her assessment.' he replied.

The Doctor was wearing one of his more severe frowns. 'Just what are you trying to say Mr Spock?' he asked.

'During my, admittedly brief, conversations with both of you, it appears to me that you and the Ensign would perhaps prefer  _not_  to annul your marriage.'

'Orions don't get married!' Doctor McCoy exclaimed. Spock noted he did not say  _he_  did not wish to be married. He raised an eyebrow.

'Whatever gave you that idea Doctor?' he asked. ' _Lodubyaln (slave girls)_  don't marry until they retire or their contracts are bought, but the rest of the Orion population follow the usual humanoid social conventions.'

The Doctor paused mid-step before catching up to Spock. 'So, what, you think she'd want to stay married?' he asked sceptically.

'I can only state that she appeared 'upset' by the thought that _you_  did not.' Spock replied as they crossed the threshold to Transporter Room 2.

Chief Engineer Scott, one of his senior Lieutenants and two Security Ensigns awaited in the transport room. Spock stopped at the rack near the door and selected a tricoder. He briefly checked its charge and function then made his way to the transporter pad. As the rest of the team assembled around him he checked his phaser and communicator.

Satisfied, he met the gaze of the ensign manning the console. 'Energise.'

Electrostatic tingled against his skin and white blurred his vision and then he was on the Vulcan ship.

They had beamed into a transport room dimly lit by only reddish emergency lighting. It was comfortably warm and the artificial gravity was set to Vulcan standard. Spock wondered at that. It was unusual for emergency life support systems to include unnecessary power drains like maintaining temperatures at anything above minimums.

Three Vulcans stood near the controls.

Spock gave them the ta'al. 'Greetings. I am Commander Spock of the  _USS Enterprise_.' he said. 'We have come in response to your distress call.'

The middle Vulcan returned the ta'al and responded in lightly accented standard. 'Honourable Lord Spock. I am Staal.' He inclined his head respectfully. 'We are most grateful for your assistance.'

Spock noted Doctor McCoy's raised eyebrow at the unexpected honorific. He managed to restrain a similar reaction from showing upon his own face. He was not a  _S_ _'haile or Pidsu,_ 'Lord' was not a correct form of address for him. Since the destruction of their home-world, Vulcan opinion of Spock had split into two. Those who saw him as something approaching a 'hero' or as close to that ideal as a Vulcan would ever deem logical, and those that believed he should have been able to stop Nero before their planet was destroyed and who despised him, again, as much as they were logically capable of.

This Vulcan, Staal, appeared to be one of the former. Whilst awkward, this was still preferable to encountered one of his species who hated him. Pushing the thought from his mind he focused on the situation at hand.

'What is the nature of the damage to your vessel?' he inquired.

'A simple enough thing  _Osu'Zhel-lan (honourable commander)_ , a malfunction in our energy converter. We lack the necessary part to effect repairs however.'

'I am certain we can be of assistance. Lieutenant Commander Scott will be able to replicate a replacement fitting.' he stepped off the pad. 'If you will show us?'

'Of course Osu'Zhel-lan.' Staal replied.

The problem was indeed, simple. The Vulcans required no aid in making the repairs, merely in procuring a part. The damaged part simply needed to be removed and beamed back the  _Enterprise_  for Chief Engineer Scott to replicate a replacement. Spock made a mental note to request the engineer demonstrate his methods with regards to the process. It had proven a most useful skill and one Spock would be interesting in mastering.

Staal pulled Spock aside whilst the Engineers and two of the Vulcan crew were disassembling the power converter assembly to gain access to the faulty part. Doctor McCoy, seeing that there were no injured persons aboard, had already beamed back to the ship. 'To get some damned shut-eye.' as he had eloquently put it.

' _Osu'Zhel-lan Spohkh. We have an Elder aboard who wished to speak with you before you return to the Enterprise. Is this acceptable?'_  he asked in Vuhlkansu.

An odd request, but not one Spock saw any particular reason to deny.  _'That is acceptable.'_

They left the engineers to their work and Spock followed Staal through the ship towards the passenger quarters several decks above him.

Staal led him to a large room lit only by emergency lighting and an asenoi. There was indeed an elder sat before it in apparent meditation. Staal bowed to the seated figure.  _'Okosu T'Prak, Osasu Spohkh is here as you requested.'_  He glanced at Spock then left the room.

' _Live long and prosper Spohkh son of Sarek son of Skon.'_  the ancient woman greeted him.

Spock stared at her in mild surprise. They had not met before, but he was familiar with her name. She was matriarch of T'Pring's Clan.

' _Peace and long life Okosu T'Prak.'_  he replied in kind.

' _I would speak with you of a matter of some delicacy Spohkh.'_  She said.

Spock stepped closer and nodded slightly in acceptance.

' _My granddaughter T'Pring claims your bond to her was never severed completely.'_  the elder continued. ' _I have not been able to ascertain the accuracy of her claims via her and wonder if you would permit me to meld with you and confirm that she is, in fact, mistaken?'_

Spock raised an eyebrow. One did not ask to meld with a person they had just met. He was certainly not comfortable with letting a stranger, _T'Pring's_  grandmother at that, share his thoughts.  _'I can confirm the same. The bond was removed completely. I have sensed nothing of her in over a decade.'_

' _Yes. This is as I have observed in her, I could find no trace. However she insists.'_  The old woman paused, pursed her lips slightly.  _'She suffers with the death of her bondmate. She is not as she was.'_

Spock was aware that T'Pring had bonded to Stonn, a cousin of hers, some 3 years after he had departed Vulcan. At the time it had evoked neither negative or positive feelings within him, and it did not do so now.

' _If you would permit me to meld with you, I believe she will have to accept the certainty of my findings and this may be of aid to her.'_

' _There is no bond to T'Pring.'_  Spock insisted. ' _I am bonded to another as she was bonded to another. This would not have been possible if any bond between us had remained. T'Pring knows this. If her logic is so clouded that she cannot accept this, I do not think you will convince her otherwise.'_ he replied.

' _I accept the logic of your words. She is… ill however. I intend to show her that there is no bond, share my memories with her. It is my hope it will help her recover. This is why I ask this of you.'_

Spock considered her request.  _'T'Pring suffers from tel-has-mar?'_

' _Yes. Also lost with T'Khasi were her sa'fu, oko'mekh and osa'mekh.'_  T'Prak replied referring to the demise of her own son and grandson with typical Vulcan detachment.

Spock had not been aware T'Pring and Stonn had had a child.  _'I grieve with thee.'_  he said.

He thought on his own brief experience of  _p'pil'lay_. Of Nyota's. T'Pring most likely suffered a great deal with the loss of Stonn and their child. It explained her odd behaviour in contacting him repeatedly since  _Va'Pak._  Although he did not hold any particular regard for his former betrothed, she was of Vulcan. To deny her such a small thing due to bitterness when she had always behaved logically and rationally would be petty. He made his decision.  _'Very well.'_

He crossed to stand beside the elder and sunk to his knees.  _'You may proceed.'_

She nodded and recited the ritual phrase as she pressed her fingers against his psi points. Like all elders, her touch was deft. Spock quickly pulled her down to the place in the bottom of his mind where his familial bonds, those to his parents and Nyota, were rooted. He felt her dispassionately note the bond to his father, the bond to his mother and finally the bond to Nyota.

 _/your bond to your human is surprisingly strong/_  she remarked as she plucked at it experimentally.

Spock did not bother to reply, he knew she would sense his irritation at her comment and interest. Spock heard the beep of his communicator as if from a great distance. He spoke of T'Pring to speed the elder.

_/You see no trace of the bond to T'Pring remains./_

_/Yes. I see./_

Spock inhaled, preparing to pull himself from the meld, the engineers would most likely be already on the  _Enterprise_  replicating the replacement part.

Okosu T'Prak lingered. He let her feel his wordless query at her hesitation. He felt Nyota reaching towards him curiously. He recalled the unanswered communicator. He wordlessly reassured her, felt the disconcerting sensation of T'Prak observing the exchange. Nyota retreated. Spock began to pull himself from the meld.

T'Prak did something. Reached towards his familial bonds.

He realised her intent and tried to pull away. He could not, she was holding him in her grip.

 _/NO!/_  he screamed both aloud and in his mind.

His arm shot up to push her fingers from him but it was too late and then she was pushing at him, a great force inside his mind and he fell into darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

 

**Nyota**

The engineers and the security detail beamed back aboard with the damaged part to be replicated. The Vulcans had not elected to accompany them. Since their presence on the  _Enterprise_  would serve no logical purpose, this in itself was hardly surprising. What  _was_  surprising was that Spock had remained aboard. Apparently he was talking to an Elder who happened to be a passenger upon the ship.

Scotty estimated that he'd need about an hour to scan and build up a replicator schematic for the delicate part. Since the Vulcan ship was still without power to their communications systems, the Captain asked Lieutenant Hawkins to inform Spock via his communicator since he was still aboard.

Nyota watched the situation unfold from the communications console with slight distraction. There was some sort of stomach bug making its way around the ship and she'd been ill the night before. Gaila had been sick a few days previously and two other ensigns in the Communications Lab had also suffered from it. Whatever it was seemed to have passed however. She felt fine.

In fact she was  _starving._ Distractingly so. Since she'd lost her dinner, her empty stomach was rumbling as if trying to turn itself inside out.

She should have eaten something before dashing to the bridge. The cup of coffee she'd hastily sipped on while she dressed hardly counted. Maandazi. Pancakes. Cinnamon toast. She was going to order a big plateful when she got off. Maybe some krei'la as well. Vulcan biscuits would taste pretty good covered in syrup. She continued to daydream about breakfast as Lieutenant Hawkins hailed Spock.

It was…  _awkward…_ the situation with the Lieutenant. He'd been the Chief Communications Officer of the  _Enterprise_ , and now she was. Hawkins was relegated to her Beta shift relief. Although he behaved with polite courtesy to her, which she in turn made great effort to return, she knew he must hold a grudge against her. He'd have to be some sort of saint not too.

First the embarrassment of being relieved by a cadet whilst on duty, and then the insult of having that made permanent. She knew it wasn't her fault, that the reason she'd ended up in her role was because she had a greater skill set than the Lieutenant – if he'd been able to speak Romulan and better Vulcan, hardly obscure dialects, Captain Pike wouldn't have asked her to relieve him in the first place - but she still felt bad for him.

Therefore on the rare instances she was on the bridge during Beta shift, she made no attempt to claim her seniority over him. She assisted, nothing more. He was capable. She watched as Hawkins input Spock's communicator frequency and hailed him. When he still sat silently listening to his headpiece after ten seconds she sent him a questioning look, a raised eyebrow.

He frowned and re-entered the frequency, hailed once more. Nyota gave up pretence and observed. Hawkins met her eyes and gave a tiny shrug before turning to face the Captain.

Kirk was frowning and talking to Scotty over the main viewscreen. 'What are you saying Scotty?'

' _The damage looks to have been intentionally inflicted.'_  Scotty replied.

'Sabotage?' Kirk asked.

The Engineer on the screen screwed up his face and shrugged.  _'Maybe Captain. Could've been an accident though. All it takes is one butter-fingered technician.'_

Nyota frowned. Vulcans weren't butter-fingered. Sabotage? The Vulcan ship had been intentionally crippled?

'Excuse me Captain.' Lieutenant Hawkins interrupted.

Kirk spun his chair and gave him his attention. 'Yes Lieutenant?'

'Commander Spock does not respond sir.' he replied.

Kirk glanced at Nyota. She made a small gesture with her hand to indicate to him that she had no mysterious insight to offer. 'Well, keep trying. If you can't get through to him we'll beam someone else over to inform the Vulcan's of Scotty's discovery and tell our First Officer to answer his comm.'

Nyota reached towards Spock. He was unharmed, but distracted. She reached slightly more firmly, focusing. She sensed something.  _Oh._  He was melded with someone? She felt the reflection of a cool alien presence inside him. It was disturbing. Especially as she'd been unprepared for the sensation. It explained his preoccupation however. She withdrew slightly. As she did so she felt a sudden wave of intense  _panic_  from Spock. A great blast of adrenaline shot through her body in response. And then  _nothing._

She didn't call out or scream, there wasn't time. She had just long enough to recognise the terrible hollow sensation and then she passed out.

.

* * *

**Kirk**

One minute Uhura was sitting beside Hawkins the next she was unconscious and bleeding everywhere. Jim was across the bridge and beside her before Hawkins was even out of his chair.

'Uhura!' he called rolling her onto her back from her slumped position on the deck. His first aid training cut in automatically. He felt her neck for a pulse and checked that she was still breathing. His fingers came away bloody.

'Get McCoy up here now!' he bellowed to the bridge at large. He scanned her head for injury. If she'd whacked herself on the edge of the console as she fell it might be serious. There was no sign of that however and on closer inspection it appeared that the blood was coming from her nose. A fainting spell?

Ensign Shara, the Andorian Beta shift navigation, was kneeling opposite Jim. She straightened Uhura out checking her over for other signs of injury. A sarcastic bit of Jim's brain wondered that the only non-human on the bridge was the one with the initiative to do so. The Andorian woman also had the thoughtfulness to tug Uhura's uniform a little lower on her thighs. Not something Jim would have thought of but that Uhura would have appreciated.

'She just fainted sir.' Hawkins said. 'She didn't seem ill or otherwise out of sorts beforehand.' He sounded shocked.

'Has Commander Spock answered his comm yet?' Jim inquired.

'Ah, no sir. I'll keep trying?' the Lieutenant inquired.

'Do that.'

Spock and Uhura had that weird… Vulcan…  _thing_  between them. Jim was 99% sure Spock would know that Nyota was injured or ill or whatever and since he'd proven himself quite overprotective were the lovely Lieutenant was concerned, Jim expected him to come striding onto the bridge with that chilly Vulcan glare of his firmly in place at any moment.

The turbolift door cycled open, Jim glanced up, honestly half expecting Spock.

It was Bones.

'Here Bones!' Jim called.

He jogged towards them, medical bag over his arm and a nurse and a couple of orderlies in tow. The Andorian Ensign stood to make room for him.

'What happened Jim?'

'She just fainted. No warning.' he replied.

Bones pulled out his medical scanner. He waved it over Uhura's head and then her chest, checking her vitals and major organs. He frowned. 'This is serious Jim. We need to get her to medbay  _now_.' He turned to the orderlies. 'Johnson, Hato.'

The orderlies nodded and stepped forward. Jim stood and let them arrange the Lieutenant on the stretcher. She was floppy. Like a doll. It was unnerving.

'Sir!'

Jim turned to the voice, Ensign Shara was back at her console and looking alarmed. 'The Vulcan ship sir! Scanners indicate it is fully operational!'

'What?' he called walking back towards his chair and looking out the viewscreen.

'Scanners indicate full power sir.' The lieutenant manning Spock's usual station concurred.

'Hawkins! Hail the ship!'

'Yessir!'

Jim sat down.

'No response sir.'

The ship suddenly stretched and then was gone.

'It's jumped to warp sir.' Shara confirmed.

Jim slapped at the ship intercom. 'Transporter room! Is Commander Spock on board?'

' _Negative sir.'_

Goddammit! Jim turned to face his navigator again, he observed McCoy and his team loading Uhura into the turbolift out of the corner of his eye as he did so, but he ignored them. There was nothing he could do for the Lieutenant. He was a starship Captain, not a doctor.

'Where's the ship heading?' he asked Ensign Shara.

'I can try and calculate that sir.' she replied, antennae swivelling. 'Ensign Chekov is more adept at calculating warp telemetry then I however.'

Jim slapped the intercom once more. 'This is the Captain speaking. Ensign Chekov report to the bridge immediately.'

He turned towards the communications console. The seat next to Hawkins was at an odd angle and there was a vivid red smear on the side of the gleaming white console. 'Hawkins. Did we hear get anything from Spock or the ship before they jumped?'

'Negative sir. The Commander did not respond.' he said. 'I was locked onto his frequency when the ship jumped to warp however. The signal trace might be useful to Ensigns Shara and Chekov in calculating telemetry?'

Jim nodded. 'Get that information to Shara's console Lieutenant.'

He sat back in his chair and sorted through the events of the last few hours. A distress call, apparently under pretence A Vulcan ship. A Vulcan First Officer. That Vulcan First Officer's girlfriend collapsing on the bridge. He recalled the events of a month and half previously, Scotty telling him how Uhura had acted on the bridge. She'd reacted to something that had happened to Spock who was over 20,000kms away from her on the planet below at the time. If Spock being hit by the spores had been enough to send Uhura off to lah-lah land, could something more serious have resulted in her fainting spell?

Spock hadn't answered his comm. He would have unless he'd been unable to.

Jim got to his feet. The Beta shift Helmsman, Lieutenant McKenna, was the ranking command officer on the bridge. 'McKenna, you have the con. I'll be in medbay.'

'Aye Sir.'

'Shara, inform me as soon as you and Chekov have that telemetry.'

'Yes Captain.'

Jim made his way down to the medical bay. Uhura was on a biobed, looking very small and very unconscious. One of the nurses, the blonde one with the amazing blue eyes – Chapel – was cleaning the blood off her face. Bones glanced up from where he was scowling at a medical tri-corder.

'Before you ask I have no idea.' he pre-empted Jim.

'I think it was something to do with Spock.' Jim said.

McCoy sighed. 'I'm tempted to agree, though I imagine my reasons for blaming our AWOL Vulcan Commander and your own differ wildly.'

Jim frowned.

'Well, your theory Jim. Let's hear it. Can't be any more bizarre than the ones I'm coming up with.' Bones continued.

'On Omicron Ceti 3, Uhura reacted when Spock was infected with the spores even though he was planetside and she was up here. Spock didn't answer his comm. A minute later Uhura collapsed and the Vulcan ship bugged out.' he said. 'I think something happened to Spock, something more serious than a case of the Omicron Silly Spores, and it affected Uhura.'

Bones looked up from the data he was looking at. 'That's actually quite astute Jim.' His surprise was kinda insulting. Jim glared at him as the doctor walked over to the biobed display and brought up a brain scan. 'The colours on this scan indicate synaptic activity. This is Uhura right now. There is nothing unusual at all in these readings.' He pointed at a section of Uhura's brain that was a pale green. 'This area here has slightly more activity than is normal for a human, but nothing too unusual.'

He flicked through a menu and brought up an identical scan. . 'This is a scan of Uhura's head from three months ago.' Instead of green the same area of the brain was a white purple colour. . 'Six months ago.' He flicked the image and again it was identical. 'A few months before that, after Nero.' The image changed again but still showed the same colours. 'And about 18 months ago.'

He brought up another image and this one was different, it was a pale blue not the white purple.

'What am I looking at Bones?' Jim asked in confusion.

'There's an interesting note in Uhura's file next to that first scan, one that Nurse Chapel here made when she treated Uhura at the Academy.' Bone glanced at the Nurse, 'Chapel?'

The woman pursed her lips. 'I'm only repeating this because as Captain you have access to all personnel medical files.'

'Noted Nurse.' Jim replied.

'Uhura was displaying indicators of stress. Loss of appetites, depression etc. - hardly unusual for a fourth year cadet at end of term - but she also had some anomalies in her brain scan. During the course of her consultation her room-mate, Gaila U'Aidat, revealed that she'd mindmelded with a Vulcan on at least two occasions. I concluded that the extra synaptic activity in her brain was most likely as a result of that.'

Jim glanced at McCoy, 'So you're saying what, Spock messed up Uhura's brain with his weird Vulcan mind mojo?' He didn't understand how that was relevant to her fainting.

Bones sighed and rubbed his temples. 'Jim. Have you ever actually reviewed your officer's personnel files?'

'Sure, I glanced over them when we first got our commissions.' Jim replied.

'You 'glanced' over them?' Bones inquired with a scowl.

'What? I know my crew! I didn't need to study your academic records or whatever, I saw you all in action.' Jim said somewhat defensively.

Bones shared a look with Chapel. He passed Jim a PADD. 'Look up Uhura's personnel file Jim. I'll wait.'

Jim scowled but did as directed. He entered his Captain's clearance code and pulled up Uhura's full file. 'Okay. What am I meant to be looking at?''

'Why don't you start with her  _name_  Jim.' Bones replied mildly from where he was doing something to the biobed settings.

Jim sighed. He glanced down at the relevant field on the long form dislayed on the PADD. She had a crazy looking middle name and… He frowned. His eyes bugged out of his head. ' _Sa Chan Ta gay!?'_  He blurted. ' _Nee Uhura!?'_

Bones was giving him a look like he was a simpleton. 'Keep reading.'

Kirk did so. He blinked. 'She's  _married_?! To  _Spock!?'_  Chapel was glaring at him. He belatedly realised he was practically yelling. 'How long have you known this Bones?' he hissed at his supposed best friend.

McCoy raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips. 'It's hardly a secret Jim, but I take patient doctor confidentiality seriously.' he replied. 'And it's not my job to keep you in the loop because you're _too lazy_  to look at your own damned bridge officer's personnel files. But if you must know, I noticed she was married after Nero. I was distracted at the time though and I didn't realise to  _whom_  she was married until she had her first check-up after we left spacedock.'

Jim flicked through Uhura's file. There was a weird marriage certificate all in Vulcan squiggles. He looked at the date with interest. 'Whoa. They got married while she was a student? I never would have picked Spock for the type… I mean, he was her  _instructor_.' It seemed Spock had hidden depths. Kinda kinky ones.

'Actually he was assigned to active fleet duty aboard the  _USS Nelson_  when he and the Lieutenant got married.' Nurse Chapel informed him frostily.

Jim looked at her in surprise. 'Calm down nurse, I'm not trying to imply anything.'

She sniffed. 'Well  _good._  The Lieutenant is lying next you possibly  _dying_ , I don't think gossiping about her personal relationships is appropriate. Captain.'

Bones shot him a smug look, looking very pleased that he was getting told by Nurse Frosty.

Jim manfully tried to be the bigger person. 'Of course you're right Nurse Chapel.' He turned back to bones. 'Okay, so Uhura's married to Spock. What's this got to do with anything?'

'The brainscan. From what Spock's told me, and he's a damned tight-lipped bastard, it's an indicator of that. Vulcan's have telepathic bonds. That's how they get married. Spock and Uhura have one.' Leonard brought up the original scan. 'And as you can see, it's  _gone.'_

Jim frowned. 'What do you mean 'gone'?'

'I mean the extra synaptic activity caused by Uhura's bond to Spock is no longer in evidence.' Bones explained in a thoughtful voice as he regarded the scans, one hand on his chin. 'I can therefore only assume that the bond itself has been removed.'

'How would that have happened?' Jim asked.

Bones and Chapel shared a loaded look. 'Well, the most obvious explanation is that Spock's… dead Jim.'

Jim ignored that possibility for now. 'Uhura will know.' he said. 'She always knows where Spock is, what's happening. If he died, she'd have known…' and maybe the shock made her faint. Jim's stomach dropped. He swallowed. 'What's her status Bones? We need to get her conscious.'

Leonard sighed. 'She's stabilising. We think. She was in a massive state of shock when we got her down here. She's so pumped full of sedatives it might be  _days_  before she wakes up.'

'We don't have days Bones. We need to know if Spock's dead or alive. I need to know before I chase after that Vulcan ship.' He glanced at Uhura's still form. 'If she's stabilised, I need you to wake her up. Even if it's only for a minute.'

'Doctor you  _can't!_ ' Nurse Chapel implored. 'It's a miracle we were able to stabilise them as it is!'

Bones frowned. 'I  _know_  nurse!' He turned to Jim. 'Look, we can't. It might kill her.'

Jim looked at the Nurse for a moment. 'Stabilised 'them'?' he inquired.

Chapel stilled, blinked rapidly and turned to look at McCoy desperately.

The Doctor sighed. 'Uhura's pregnant.'

Jim fought the urge to throw his hands in the air and yell 'GREAT! JUST GREAT' like a child having a tantrum. 'So my First Officer was either murdered or kidnapped by Vulcans and his secret wife, who just happens to be my Chief Communications Officer is pregnant and on death's door?'

'That about sums it up Jim. Welcome to my world.' Bones replied.

Lieutenant Hawkins' voice floated over the ship's intercom. ' _Captain Kirk please report to the bridge.'_

Jim gave Uhura one last once over. 'Well, keep me informed of her status Bones.' He sighed. 'And, do your best.'

'Of course I'll do my damned best!' he replied sharply. 'The woman might have odd taste in men, but that's not something I'm going to hold against her.'

Hawkins called out to him as soon as he exited the lift and onto the Bridge. 'Sir you have a priority 1 communication from Vulcan High Command.'

'Hopefully they have some answers for me.' Jim remarked. 'I'll take it in my ready room.' he said as he headed in that direction.

'Yessir.'

He took a moment to compose himself before he activated the comm console on his desk in his ready room. It was never a good idea to look flustered in front of a Vulcan. He triggered the comm. He recognised the face that appeared on the viewscreen. It was Sarek of Vulcan, the Former Vulcan Ambassador to Earth and current Administrator of Vulcan High Command. The Vulcan equivalent of the 'President' of United Earth.

And perhaps more importantly, Spock's dad.

'Administrator Sarek.' Jim greeted him. 'I'm relieved to hear from you. We have had an eventful few hours.'

'Captain Kirk. My son. What has occurred?' Sarek inquired getting straight to the point with typical Vulcan bluntness. Jim replied to Sarek's question as he would have replied to one from Spock, by simply outlining the situation.

'We received a distress call from a Vulcan ship. Spock identified the speaker as a native to Han'Shir. He believed it to be authentic. We rendezvoused with the ship and arranged to help them effect repairs to a damaged power converter. Our engineers returned to the ship to replicate a replacement part. My chief engineer discovered the damage had been caused intentionally. Our sensors suddenly registered the ship as having full power. Spock didn't answer his comm and our hails to the ship were ignored. It jumped to warp with him still aboard. My navigator is currently calculating their destination.'

Sarek listened with a blank expression. 'And his wife?'

Huh. Apparently it wasn't a secret.

'I've just returned from medbay.' Jim replied. 'Lieutenant Uhura collapsed on the bridge. Doctor McCoy reports her condition is serious, but he believes she is stable. He is keeping her heavily sedated.' He paused, wondering if he should inform Sarek of her  _other_ condition.

'That is pleasing news' Sarek remarked. 'What I felt from Spock, I was concerned would have killed her. She will require a Vulcan healer if she is to recover. What are your plans?'

'Is Spock alive sir?' Jim asked.

'He is.' Sarek replied serenely.

'Then once we have determined the destination of the Vulcan ship, we will follow and retrieve him.' Jim said.

Sarek inclined his head. 'Judging from their actions thus far, you will find the Vulcans who have done this thing to be… illogical.'

'What actions sir? You mean kidnapping Spock?' Jim asked.

'Partially. But I refer more to what they have done to Spock.' Sarek replied.

'What have they done sir?' Jim asked.

'I have felt such pain and distress from my son on only one other occasion. Your description of Nyota's state confirms my suspicions.' He said. 'A Vulcan Elder has performed  _p'pil'lay_  upon Spock - has severed his marriage bond to Nyota.'

Looked like Bones was right on the money.

'Why would they do that?' Jim asked in confusion.

'That I cannot know.' Sarek replied. 'Perhaps to cause him pain, perhaps to drive him mad. A deep meditative state will stave off the effects in the short term, but if he stays conscious, he will be driven to madness in a matter of days. Death may eventually follow.'

'And Uhura?' Jim asked, although he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Sarek blinked. 'Her prognosis is the same.'

The door chimed. 'Enter!' Jim called.

Ensign Chekov stopped just inside. 'We have calculated the telemetry sir. Please be excusing the interruption - I thought it might be relevant to your conversation.'

'Where are they headed Ensign?' Jim asked.

'Well sir it appears they are headed directly to New Vulcan.' Chekov replied.

Jim frowned. That was hardly subtle of them. 'Thank you Ensign. Plot a pursuit course to New Vulcan, warp factor 8.'

'Aye Captain.' Chekov replied and left the room.

Jim looked back to his comm screen. 'I will have Vulcan High Command forwarded the registry, warp signature and other identifiers of the ship Administrator Sarek.'

Spock's father inclined his head. 'We shall endeavour to have the situation resolved peacefully before the arrival of the  _Enterprise_ , but your alacrity is appreciated.'

'Of course Administrator. I don't appreciate my First Officer being shanghaied across the galaxy.'


	7. Chapter 7

**Spock**

He awoke and reached for her. But she was not there. It was as it had been 242 days earlier, when Elder Sosik had performed  _p'pil'lay_  between he and Nyota. There was a dark vacuum in his head, a gaping hole where his ashayam should have been. He felt his parents still, and he took small comfort from them, but of Nyota he could sense nothing. No that was inaccurate. The  _lack_  of her presence he felt. There was a sense that she  _ought_  to be with him, as if at any moment she would return to him and their bond would once more thrum with her life and love.

His thoughts keep reaching, trying impossibly to stretch between them and touch her, but the path to her mind, their bond, was severed. Although he was physically unarmed he felt pain. He used the basic tenets of  _enok-ka-fi (meditative pain control)_  to bring the discomfort under his control. It was not so terrible, not so consuming as it had been when last he had been separated from her in this way. Perhaps because this time it was familiar.

Instead of reaching pointlessly to Nyota, he reached to his father. There was no way for him to communicate clearly with his father over such a distance. Without a physical connection they could only exchange vague thoughts and feelings. He felt concern and reassurance from his father. It calmed him more than it had reason to. He had no idea of his situation, what his captors intended to do with him, but that confidence he felt from his father's made it logical to assume Sarek did. That some plan was being put into motion.

More centred he reached briefly to his mother to reassure him he was alive. He felt her relief and it also helped calm him.

Spock opened his eyes. He was in a cabin. It was not a brig cell, but a Spartan, non-descript room in the Vulcan style. He had not been restrained, though neither was there anything in the room he could utilise as a weapon. The few pieces of furniture, including the bed he lay upon, were built into the walls.

He pulled himself into a sitting position. He was panicked. Unease and discomfort washed over him. He needed to find Nyota. He needed to find his ashayam and join their minds. It was difficult to reconcile the reality that he could not. He recalled in vivid eidetic detail the memory of Nyota lying still and bleeding in his arms after their  _p'pil'lay_  on Earth. Was she even now lying like that on the  _Enterprise?_  In pain? Dying? T'Pau had said the shock nearly killed her. Had this severing succeeded in doing so? Was she dead?

His heart rate had increased to 130% of its usual tempo and he was having difficulty keeping his breathing even. Sinking down into his thoughts he folded his legs into a  _loshirak_  mediation position and calmed himself. To fret over things he had no influence over was illogical. He meditated upon several of the more appropriate analects of Surak as he found his emotional control once more. When he felt his fears to be more or less contained, he reached again for his father. He tried to focus his thoughts entirely upon Nyota - to ask his father if she was alive. Again he felt reassurance from Sarek. There was no way to be certain if Sarek had understood his query, but it was comforting all the same.

He had been awake for only a period of 37 minutes when the door opened. Two entered the room. Although he did not open his eyes he recognised them both instantly.  _'T'Prak. T'Pring. Your actions are as illogical as they are inexcusable.'_  he remarked with a calmness that was entirely false. He did not deign to open his eyes or move from his mediative position to address them.

' _Logic alone guides my actions Spock.'_  replied T'Pring. Her voice, whilst recognisable to when last he had heard it a decade earlier, was changed. It was not as cool and still as he recalled.

' _You are guided by emotion T'Pring. Perhaps anger, perhaps grief. I do not know which, nor do I care.'_  he said.

She ignored his statement _. 'Why have you not responded to my missives?'_  she inquired.

' _I had no wish to exuberate your apparent madness.'_  Spock replied.

' _And yet you attempted to free yourself of your human wife. It is known Osasu Sosik performed the ritual.'_  She said.  _'Why did you not call to me? I would have bonded with you in her place and cured you of the Tel-has-mar.'_

' _Call to you?'_  Spock inquired. In his surprise he opened his eyes and regarded her for the first time. She looked much as she had when last he saw her. A decade was not so long to a Vulcan. Her hair was still dark and long, her face attractive, her bearing proud. But her eyes were wider, her stare hot and intense where it had once been cool and unaffected.

' _Kah-ka (The Bond – arranged betrothal)_ remains between us. I would have come. With Stonn lost to me, it is logical we renew our  _kah-ka_  through the  _Van-kal t'telan (ceremony of bonding).'_  She almost sounded like the old, logical, perfectly Vulcan T'Pring of his adolescence again, save of course her subject matter.

' _You speak of things of which you are ill-informed T'Pring.'_  he replied.  _'Did not your pid-kom inform you nothing of our Kah-ka remains?'_

T'Pring frowned infinitesimally, but quite expressively for a Vulcan and  _very_  expressively in comparison to the T'Pring he recalled.

T'Prak spoke.  _'The bond to your human had replaced it. Now that she is gone from you the bond to T'Pring remains.'_

Spock frowned. He reached within himself.  _'That is inaccurate. I sense nothing.'_

' _You are not an Elder. I sense it.'_  she replied.

Spock looked up her and realised that she was lying. He had not ever known a Vulcan, especially one as venerated as a Clan Matriarch to lie before.  _'You are lying.'_  he remarked in amazement.

' _Ko'fu-il. Prepare yourself.'_  T'Prak directed at T'Pring. The younger Vulcan nodded and left the room, giving Spock a lingering look that he did not understand.

'As a  _match for T'Pring_ _Osasu Stonn was far superior to you Spock.'_ T'Prak remarked.  _'But few suitable males remain and she requires a mate. She is all that remains of my bloodline. You are unworthy with your human blood, but you are also of Surak's line, of blood that is old and princely. Sarek is Administrator of High Command and the T'Sai and Pid-kom's bow and scrape before your human mother. This is distasteful to me, but perhaps T'Pring will redeem your line, a T'Sai of the High Clans to give you worthy Vulcan children. In return for bonding to you, you will give my granddaughter back her sanity. Save her from the tel-has-mar. It is a logical arrangement.'_

' _I will not bond with T'Pring.'_  Spock replied calmly, hiding the confusion he felt at T'Prak's mad plan.

' _You owe it to our race to take a Vulcan wife Spohkh. It is much spoken of.'_  she said.  _'Bonding with T'Pring will cure you of the tel-has-mar you suffer at the loss of your human. This is why you reneged on your previous attempt at p'pil'lay is it not?'_

Spock regarded her and attempted to let her see the seriousness of his words.  _'No it is not and you who have unlawfully done this thing to me, you who have seen into my mind without my permission, must surely know this.'_

T'Prak blinked.  _'The bond was strong. But you had already attempted to sever it once.'_

Spock felt himself becoming angry.  _'You attempt to use logic to defend actions you know are indefensible. No choice did you offer me, you severed my tel-tor (marriage bond) against my will.'_  He said.  _'You hold me here against my will. You think to join me to your granddaughter against my will. You think I will accept these things? That if you force me to bond with T'Pring I will suddenly accept your logic? I will not. You cannot succeed.'_

' _The bond-sickness mars your logic Spock. Once you bond to T'Pring your thoughts will be clear once more.'_ she said.

Spock ignored her words.  _'T'Pring's thoughts will not be clear however. 249 days have passed since Stonn was lost to her. Bonding to me will not heal her so-resh (madness). It is too late, and I am not Stonn.'_

T'Prak nodded.  _'That is not certain. What is certain is that she will give you children. And they will not be so-resh.'_

Whatever pity, understanding, Spock had felt for the matriarch courtesy of his human blood dissolved. It was not concern for T'Pring that motivated her actions, it was pride and vanity. She wanted her bloodline to continue. She was too old to procreate herself, and so her mad granddaughter was to do so on her behalf. She would have heirs, and of Sarek's 'princely' blood as she put it.  _'I will not bond with T'Pring.'_

' _Then you will die.'_ T'Prak remarked.  _'And I will have T'Pring given to another.'_

Spock wondered if perhaps T'Pring was not the only one suffering from so-resh.  _'Sarek is aware of my situation. My death would prove a great difficulty to you.'_

' _Your death will be easily explained.'_

' _It is known to him this was against my will. He will not accept your explanations.'_  Spock replied.

' _I cannot be blamed for your death in the throes of plak'tow, or your illogical actions whilst afflicted, especially since I have offered you a wife. My own granddaughter at that.'_  she replied.

' _It is not my time.'_  Spock said.

' _You were injected with a large dose of synthesised yamareen while you were unconscious. I anticipate you will enter an induced plak'tow within 6 hours. Combined with the tel-has-mar, you will not last long.'_

Spock frantically tried to verify her words. He assessed his physiological well-being. He was indeed suffering from a massive hormone imbalance.

' _Your plak'tow will demand you mate with T'Pring. Since you are currently unbonded the compulsion to bond with her will be irrepressible. Your human will not want you back when she learns you have mated with, bonded and impregnated another female.'_  T'Prak informed him calmly.

' _You know very little of humans and even less of she that is my wife.'_  Spock replied attempting to project confidence. In truth her words scared him. He recalled his previous brush with pon'farr. The madness. The burning rage and lust. He had called T'Pring so-resh, but compared to a Vulcan in the throes of the blood fever, she was a paragon of logic and reason.

' _Your words are hollow Spohkh son of Sarek.'_  she said before turning and leaving the room, the forcefield and door sealing after her.

Spock reached to his father, let him feel his panic. Let him know that he did not have much time. He hoped Sarek and Jim Kirk located him before he could betray Nyota in madness. The thought of causing her such pain was intolerable to him.

He resumed the  _loshirak_ position in the midst of the bed again. Whilst he still had the mental control, he went through a thorough  _an-prele_  pain control exercise to help him attain better focus. Once he was calm and still in his thoughts, he focused all his will upon the difficult process of entering  _kan'sorn_. A deep form of mediation that resulted in a near comatose state. If T'Prak or any other attempted to interfere with or meld with him in such a state, he would die. Having gone to such lengths and taken such risks to capture him, T'Prak was unlikely to risk such a thing. It would buy him some time. And if she did - well, since death was preferable to succumbing to her plans for him, he found it a logical course of action.

He slowed his heart, slowed his breathing, stilled his thoughts. Time lost meaning as he sunk closer and closer to kan-sorn. Thrice his concentration wavered and he found himself rising up to consciousness once more, but his need was great, he returned his focus to his task, bent a stubborn human will to the near impossible. He would succeed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Nyota**

She awoke to pain and bright lights. She was in the Medbay. On a biobed. For a moment there was confusion, she'd been on the bridge... and then she felt the aching emptiness in her heart, or her mind, or wherever it was she carried Spock within her and she understood what had happened.

Gone. Spock was gone.

A thin wailing noise escaped her throat. She sifted restlessly, realised she was restrained, sobbed and pulled against them. Nurse Chapel rushed in with a worried look on her face.

'Lieutenant! Lieutenant!' she called softly. 'It's okay.' She gently pressed her hand against Nyota's brow, stroking her hair. 'Calm down. Take a deep breath. It's okay.'

Nyota tried. Tried very hard. But she knew what that hollow feeling meant and she was crying and she couldn't stop. Great choking sobs wracked her, twisting her lungs almost painfully.

'Gone! He's gone!' she gasped around a raw pain in her throat. 'Spock is gone!' She slammed her head against the padded biobed and shook it from side to side like a child having a tantrum. The Nurse tried to still her movements, pressing firmly against her brow. 'Dead! He'd dead! Oh god…' Nyota sobbed.

'Nononono…' the Nurse insisted, her hand returned to a gentle stroking movement in Nyota's hair as she stilled. 'Administrator Sarek contacted the Captain. Spock is alive. It's okay.'

Nyota stared at Chapel. 'You're certain?!' she asked.

'Yes. 100%. Sarek would know wouldn't he Lieutenant?' she said.

She was having difficultly ordering her thoughts, they reeled drunkenly in her mind. But Sarek was Spock's father... 'Yes. He would know…' Nyota admitted.

It hurt. If Spock lived then it must be…  _P'pil'lay._

What had happened? How had their bond been severed? Why would anyone do such a thing? Could it have been an accident? And most importantly  _where was Spock?_

'Where? Where is he!?' she half yelled, latching onto the thought. 'Where is Spock?'

Nurse Chapel frowned. 'The Captain wanted to speak to you if you woke, I'm sure he knows far more than me. I'll tell him you're awake okay Lieutenant Uhura? Just take deep breaths and try to remain calm.'

Nyota nodded. It took a lot of effort. She stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes.

Jim Kirk appeared in her room looking slightly out of breath.

'Uhura! Thank god!' He crossed to stand beside her. He frowned at the straps holding her to the bed. ' Are these really necessary?'

'Yes.' Chapel replied. 'For the moment.'

Kirk shook his head, took her hand awkwardly in his and looked down at her with an earnest concerned expression. 'Spock's been taken, and Administrator Sarek thinks they used a rogue Elder to do something to your  _'Bond'_  and that's what made you so sick. But he's certain Spock is alive, and we are following the ship to New Vulcan now.'

'They kidnapped him?' Nyota asked in confusion. Why!? Why would someone take her k'diwa and tear their bond apart? She felt odd. Her thoughts were strange and her tongue thick in her mouth. She suspected she'd been drugged. Sedatives most likely.

'Yes. Administrator Sarek is waiting for them, we forwarded High Command the registry and warp signature of the ship. Between the two of us we'll have him back in no time.' he said with a smile. 'Although knowing Spock he's probably already managed to escape.'

Spock  _was_  pretty good at working his way out from difficult situations. However he was also pretty good at getting himself  _into_ them.

Leonard McCoy burst into the room. 'Jim! What are you doing bothering my patient?' Without waiting for a reply he stopped beside Nyota's head and waved a small scanner over her. 'How are you feeling little lady?'

'Considering. I think. I think I'm okay.' she replied haltingly.

'Considering?' he asked in confusion.

'This has happened before.' she replied.

His head snapped up. ' _What?'_

Kirk and Nurse Chapel were both looking at her in concern and surprise as well. She ignored them and focused on McCoy. As her doctor she felt she ought to clarify. He was treating her after all.

'This happened once before.' she said. 'They call it  _p'pil'lay._  The severing of a marriage bond. Except last time T'Pau married us again within maybe half an hour. But it was much worse. I feel... I feel terrible, but not like I'm dying. I felt like I was dying last time.' She took a deep breath. 'Whoever did this, maybe they didn't do it right.'

'So this illness, the cure is to get Spock here and marry him again?' McCoy asked in confusion. She supposed it did sound pretty odd. 'Wait, so you're  _not_  married to him right now?'

Nyota thought about that. 'Maybe… technically under Vulcan law we are not bonded. But… a marriage can't be dissolved without… permission.' She replied suddenly incredibly tired again.

'But that's the cure? You need to do your Vulcan Bond thing with Spock again?' McCoy asked.

'Yes. That will stop…. the  _tel-has-mar._ '

'Tel has mar?' he inquired.

'Bond... sickness.' she slurred.

'What can you tell me about this Bond Sickness Uhura? It would be mighty helpful knowing what I was treating.' He said.

She was tired, very tired. 'Last time. T'Pau said, we would have gone mad within a few days. Probably died.' She was dimly aware of a concerned gasp from the nurse and a curse from the Doctor. It took effort but she opened her eyes. 'But I feel much better. This time. I don't think that'll happen…' her eyelids fluttered heavily. 'It's like… it's like it's not totally gone. I can still… almost feel him.'

She heard them talking but couldn't make out the words. She was so  _tired._  And it was true. There was something. She knew Spock was alive. Was certain of it. She'd been too panicked to feel it when she first awoke, but she felt it now. There was some part of their bond that hadn't been severed. It was just the vaguest hint of him, but it was enough.

She awoke again and knew several hours had passed. Her thoughts were clearer. The ache inside where Spock should be pained her, but she did not feel… mad with despair. She felt…  _angry._  Whoever had done this, whoever had  _dared_ to hurt Spock had better pray she never got her vindictive, blood thirsty  _human_  hands on them. What she wanted to do to them wasn't _logical_  at all.

The restraints had been removed from her arms so Nyota sat up. Her head was a little dizzy, but she felt otherwise... okay. Weak and a bit... off, but not at all how she'd felt when last their bond had been severed. More then ever she was convinced it hadn't been done correctly. She swung her legs over the side of the biobed and carefully got to her feet.

McCoy appeared. 'Hold your horses there missy!' he said. 'Just where do you think you're going?'

Nyota thought. 'Well, I was going to try and walk around the room. See how I felt actually. Then I was going to ask someone to bring me some clothes.' she replied. 'I wasn't going to try and run away in a night gown.'

'Sure you weren't.' he replied sceptically. 'Back on the bed. I need to talk to you.'

With a sigh Nyota did as she was told. She sat on the bed, crossed her arms and waited.

'Well, this is familiar.' McCoy drawled. Nyota realised she was in the same position, and had the same expression on her face, as the day he'd treated her after Spock's brush with pon'farr. 'Never could forget that particularly pissed-off look you gave me, oh, There it is! That's the exact look!'

He shook his head. 'I can't believe it was  _Spock_  this whole time.' He said looking down at his PADD.

'I knew you'd never suspect him.' Nyota remarked.

'Well you were right there. I still have trouble accepting it was  _Spock_  who left you looking like that.' he said, frowning. 'I sincerely hope there's more to that story, extenuating circumstances or something.'

'There were.' Nyota replied and left it at that.

McCoy was arranging different brain scans on the view screen beside her bed. 'Well good.' he said. 'Now, these are your brain scans.' Nyota glanced at them, paying particular attention to the part that she knew showed her bond to Spock. In the most recent one it was pale green. She frowned and looked at the others, it was usually a white-purple colour. McCoy pointed at the earliest scan. It was yellow in that section. 'Now I pulled this one from your file. It's from your physical when you were accepted into Starfleet.' He gave her a loaded look. 'Long before you were letting Spock do whatever the hell it is he did that made your brain synapses light up like a Christmas trees.'

She glared at him.

'Anyway, as you can see, you still have extra activity going on there. Compared to before you knew Spock, there's an increase of 28% in activity in that part of your brain. That's  _way_  down from your usual of 183%, but still significantly higher than usual.' he said. 'Now, I think I know why, and I think this is perhaps why your,' he glanced at his PADD. ' _Tel-has-mar_  isn't as severe this time.'

Nyota regarded him with interest.

McCoy licked his lips.

She raised an eyebrow.

'You're pregnant.' he blurted.

Nyota felt her heart skip and her breath catch in her throat. 'But, that's  _impossible_!' she exclaimed. She realised her hand was pressed to her throat and consciously lowered her arm. 'Firstly Spock and I shouldn't even be  _able_  to conceive naturally and secondly I'm on birth control.'

'Well, you're definitely pregnant and it's definitely got both Vulcan and Human DNA.' McCoy replied.

She didn't know what to think. She was in shock. 'But  _how?'_  It was impossible. It wasn't just an unexpected 'accident' it was literally,  _impossible._

The Doctor frowned in thought. 'I'm not sure, but I do have one theory.' he said. 'It's difficult to tell with a hybrid embryo, but conception probably occurred around the time we were on Omicron Ceti III.'

His words clicked in her head. 'You mean, the spores?' she asked sceptically.

'They  _did_  protect the colonists from Berthold radiation and kept them in perfect health. Some of them even grew back entire missing organs.' McCoy said earnestly. It was obvious to Nyota he was pretty sure of his theory. 'Compared to that, allowing two humanoids with viable DNA structures to procreate seems pretty tame. I mean, Vulcan and Human genetic material  _is_  compatible, Spock's proof of that himself.'

Nyota blinked. The entire conversation felt surreal. 'Oh my god.' She felt both elated and completely terrified. 'Wait, what has this got to do with our bond?' she asked.

'Well I was thinking about what Jim said about Sarek. About how he knew Spock was alive because Vulcan children have a bond to their parents.' he replied. 'So naturally we can assume junior here has, or will have, the same sort of bond with Spock.'

It was a plausible theory. 'Do you think that means Spock will be able to feel something too?' she asked hopefully.

McCoy sighed. 'I have no idea Uhura, you'd have to ask a Vulcan. But if they go both ways, and it seems they do, he'd have to feel  _something.'_

Nyota prayed that was so. Anything, no matter how tedious and even if he didn't understand it, would help him if he was suffering tel-has-mar.

She swallowed. 'Is it… is it healthy?'

McCoy smiled. 'Seems to be a perfectly viable embryo Uhura. A perfect 50/50 human/Vulcan split.'

She suddenly found herself crying.


	9. Chapter 9

 

**Spock**

Spock was pulled from his kan'sorn meditation by his own unravelling thoughts. He had been able to maintain the difficult level of meditation for a period of 14.8 hours. He was aware of her presence before he even rose fully to consciousness. She had been waiting. She'd know he would be unable to maintain kan'sorn in plak'tow.

Hot dry fingers pressed into his face and then he felt her. Her and the other. He tried to pull away, to keep himself apart, but she pulled at him, tied parts of him to  _her._  To T'Pring.

His control was shattered. He screamed and yelled inside their shared minds, but T'Prak was an Elder, her mastery and knowledge of mental disciplines went far beyond his. She had much practice dealing with males in plak'tow. She was able to render him motionless, strip him of his strength, with ease. He heard her speaking the ritual words. Performing the ancient rite of marriage between them and then felt a terrible closeness to T'Pring.

It was much worse than the cool presence she had been when they were children, a chill ghost that lived in the corner of his mind. She was mad. Tel-has-mar had stripped her of her logic and left her a twisted wreck. She reached for him desperately, but it was not him she reached for, it was Stonn. The part of Spock that was still capable of such feelings felt pity for T'Pring. It would have been kinder if she'd been on T'Khasi with Stonn and their child.  _Sonok._  a baby. 16.3 months old. Dark hair and dark eyes. He remembered the child's face with thoughts that were not his own. Remembered the terrible feeling of that tiny life blinking out, of the connection inside him turning cold and dead.

He felt her around him, inside him, searching through him, looking, looking, looking for something not there. He was not Stonn. Sonok was not his son. Worse than that, he felt the plak'tow, the fever, spreading into her already twisted thoughts, burning away what little sanity remained. T'Prak did not appear to care. She completed the ritual. Withdrew.

Spock's body was once more his to control. T'Prak was gone. He and T'Pring were alone in the small room. She was naked. His thoughts were thick and strange. Red. He burned. He needed. He reached for her. Her skin was warm. Too warm. She wrapped arms around him that were strong and clawed at his uniform. She growled and hissed, bared pointed teeth. A part of him reacted. A part of him wanted. He twisted his hand in her hair.  _Dark hair._  That was right. He buried his face against her neck and inhaled the scent of her and was jarred by the  _wrongness_ of it.

Rage shot through him. It was not  _her._  It was not  _his_ woman. His woman had skin that was deep brown and almost cool to the touch. His woman had hair that smelt like flowers and a voice that sang his name. He shoved her away, the one that was not his, suddenly furious. She stumbled across the room screeching at him.

He ignored her and stood. He must find  _her_. The one he remembered.  _His_  female.

The other one screamed. She ran to him and tried to press her fingers to his face. He batted her away. She fell to the floor before him. He felt her tearing at him inside his mind. She should not be there. She did not belong. He glared at her and yelled  _'No!'_

' _Husband!'_  she yelled in anger and confusion.  _'Stonn!'_

Her thoughts lashed out against him, like a whirlwind in his mind.

But he was not Stonn. And she was not… The name. He could not think.  _Her name_. What was it? Her face came to him clearly. Big brown eyes and a smiling mouth. _Dan'vansurik._

When the other clawed at him he pressed that face back at her. The face of his…  _wife._  Yes. The fire washed through him in a wave. He recalled his purpose. He needed to find her. His wife.

The crying one clung to him. He felt the fire in her also, but her husband was gone. He recalled the way  _T'Khasi_  had looked as the singularity had absorbed it, the roar of the k'war'ma'khon as their race was murdered. He shared the memory with her. Stonn was gone. Gone with T'Khasi. He was Spock. Not Stonn. He was not her adun. She was alone. She made a wailing noise and went limp.

He pushed her away from him and turned his attention to the door. He would break it and then he would find her. The wall covering came apart easily beneath his fingers. There was the circuitry for the door and the forcefield. It was familiar, he recognised the parts and knew he should be able to… do something… change them… make the door open… but he could not quite remember.


	10. Chapter 10

**Nyota**

McCoy released her to her quarters only very grudgingly. He insisted Nurse Chapel accompany her and make sure she continued to rest.

The older woman said nothing when Nyota lead them to the First Officer's quarters as opposed to her own. Spock's rooms were exactly as they'd been when she'd left them in a rush what seemed like weeks ago but was probably not longer than a day and half.

The cup she'd drunk her coffee from was sitting on the table in the living area. Out of habit she picked it up and put it in the recycler. Spock disliked such mess, with the cup gone everything in the room was in perfect order. In one corner an asenoi and a box of incense sat atop Spock's meditation mat. The sofa and two chairs in the centre of the room were neatly aligned to the table. The stack of PADDs atop Spock's desk sat at a precise right angle to the computer console.

'Leonard wants me to stick around for a while Lieutenant.' Nurse Chapel informed her. 'He's got it into his head you'll run off and do something silly.'

'You can call me Nyota.' she informed the nurse. It felt silly to keep to formalities when the woman was one of a precious few privy to all of Nyota's secrets.

'Well, you should call me Christine then, Nyota.' the nurse – Christine – replied.

Nyota gave her a soft smile. ' _Christine_ , would you like some tea?' she asked heading to the replicator and reaching up to pick up a tin from the shelf above. 'I have some real stuff here.'

'Oh, I won't say no to  _real tea._ ' Christine said.

Nyota flipped open the tin shook it slightly to regard the little packets inside. 'I've got Earl Grey, English breakfast, Green Jasmine, Rooibos and Chai.'

Christine walked over to stand beside her. 'I haven't had rooibos since the last time I was in Cape town.' she said.

'Sugar or milk?' Nyota asked.

'Just black for me.'

Nyota programmed the replicator to dispense two cups of water at 95˚c. She opened a rooibos packet and popped it into a cup to steep, motioning for Christine to take it as she made her own.

'It will take a few minutes to brew.' she remarked as she took a seat on the couch.

Christine joined her, glancing around in interest as she did. Nyota didn't blame her, Spock was  _quite_  fascinating. If their roles had been reversed she'd have been curious as well.

'Now don't feel you need to entertain me Nyota. I'll happily sit her and go through some paperwork on my PADD if you'd like to rest or do something.' Christine said.

Nyota sighed. 'I've had _more_  than enough sleep over the last 24 hours. McCoy was very free and easy with the sedatives.' she replied dryly.

'How are you feeling? No grogginess?' Christine inquired. 'You  _were_  given a huge dose when we first got you down to medbay.'

'I feel fine.' Nyota replied. 'Well, not  _fine,_ but I don't feel drugged.' The vague ache of Spock's absence nagged at her and she felt a little achy and bloated, but since she was apparently  _pregnant_ , that was hardly alarming.

Christine nodded and changed the subject. 'So, what do you think Commander Spock will say when you tell him he's going to be a father?' she asked. 'Or will he just raise an eyebrow?'

Nyota smiled. 'I'm sure that will be his initial reaction.' she admitted.

'Had you two discussed children?' she inquired then frowned. 'Oh you don't have to answer that. I'm just being nosy.'

'It's okay.' Nyota said. 'The only other person I could really talk to about this is Gaila, and she's on shift…'

'Well, anything you want to talk about is fine by me Nyota.' Christine replied. 'Nurses have to be good listeners.'

'We hadn't. Discussed children that is.' she said in response to the earlier question. 'We sort of had an unspoken agreement that it could wait a few years.'

Christine tilted her head. 'You're not worried he'll be angry are you?'

Nyota shook her head. He'd be shocked, but Spock was pretty unflappable. He'd take the news with his usual logical stoicism. 'No. He'll be shocked, and then intrigued by  _how_  this could have happened.' She glanced down at her flat stomach. 'He'll probably find the entire situation  _'fascinating'_  more than anything.'

'Oh lordy. He was bad enough when you had those brain scans taken a few months back, he'll drive Leonard balmy over this.' Christine said.

Nyota smiled. The dynamic between her husband and Doctor McCoy was an amusing one. Spock almost seemed to enjoy exasperating the poor man by constantly correcting him.

They drank their tea and spoke of inconsequential ship's gossip. Half an hour later Christine left to return to the medbay. She forewarned Nyota that McCoy would probably send someone to check up on her periodically.

Nyota had a shower. Put on fresh clothes. Sat at Spock's desk. She didn't know what to do with herself. She wasn't hungry, she wasn't tired, she didn't want to read or watch a holo. Spock was somewhere. In danger. Maybe hurt. It was wrong that she was sitting safe in his quarters without him, parted from him in every possible way.

Absently she flicked on the computer view screen. A view of some complicated analysis tables appeared. She glanced over them. Spock had clearly left some sort of program running when he'd been called to the bridge unexpectedly. They appeared to be of some sort of botanical specimen. Something they'd picked up on some planet that intrigued him no doubt. She saved the file then exited out of the program out of habit. The blinking icon in one corner indicated that Spock had …  _42_  unread subspace messages?!

Spock checked his subspace routing address several times a day. He wouldn't let his correspondence build up to such an extent. Frowning Nyota opened his routing folder and glanced over his inbox. There were a few from the last 24 hours. Starfleet related communiqués. Below them in a separate directory was a long list of unopened messages. Most were from the same sender - routed through civilian subspace relays across the galaxy from New Vulcan.

She didn't want to open them. There would be some reason that Spock had not, why he'd saved them in a special directory but left them unread. If he'd been present she would have asked him. Flicking her finger over the screen she scrolled down the list. There were heaps. More than 30. They dated back to their departure from Earth. Cross-referencing the senders addresses, Nyota brought up a list of all the communication between Spock and the mystery person/s. It was all inbound save a single message Spock had sent just after their departure from Earth. He had not opened any of the messages after that response had been sent.

Nyota wasn't sure how long she stared at the messages. It was strange, suspicious. Spock had been… attacked… kidnapped, by Vulcans, and here was an evidently unwelcome persistent attempt at communication from a Vulcan. The most likely explanation was that the messages were antagonistic and that Spock was simply ignoring them because of that. If that was true however, it meant that the sender of the messages was perhaps involved in what had befallen him.

Decisively, Nyota brought up the oldest message. It was one of the three which Spock had actually viewed. She felt less like she was snooping opening one of the ones he already had.

It was a recorded video message.

A beautiful dark haired Vulcan woman appeared on the screen. She was richly dressed. What Nyota could see of her dress and robe was elaborate and her hair was adorned with jewellery. Her face was placid and cool.

' _Greetings Spohkh.'_  She spoke in Vulcan with the same accent as Spock. She was clearly of similar rank to he and from the same region of Na'naam.  _'My bondmate is lost with T'Khasi. As a female of child-bearing age it is my duty to reproduce to ensure maximum genetic diversity for our people. I found you to be a satisfactory sa-kagulsu.(fiancée). It is said you seek divorce from your human. It would be logical to renew Kah-ka.'_

Nyota blinked. Stared in shock at the viewscreen. Whatever she'd been expecting…

She'd been aware that Spock had been betrothed as per Vulcan custom as a child, and that said betrothal had been broken when he left Vulcan, but she'd never given it any thought. It had already been ancient history by the time she met Spock. She'd never asked him about it. A strange feeling curled inside her. She did not like that his ex-fiancée was so beautiful. That she was clearly a T'Sai of the High Clans. And she definitely didn't like that she'd more or less proposed to  _her_  husband.

She cued the next message. The same woman inquired as to why Spock had not responded to her message. Nyota meanwhile wondered why he hadn't seen fit to tell her of his ex's bizarre interest. Frowning she opened the one message Spock had sent this…  _T'Pring_. He appeared on the screen dressed in his uniform. Nyota noted that. He often dressed in a robe to speak to his father as a gesture of respect. He had not done so for this woman.

His face was utterly cold and emotionless. Nyota rarely saw him look so…  _Vulcan._

' _Greetings T'Pring. I grieve with thee. I do not seek p'pil'lay from my wife. Live long and prosper.'_

His words were very Vulcan too. Straight to the point. She wondered what this T'Pring could have possibly had to say in response to such a clear dismissal, and at her persistence. She scrolled the long list of unopened communiques and opened one at random.

The same woman, again richly dressed, but her face was not so smooth, so not emotionless.  _'I do not understand why you do not respond. The tel-has-mar is intolerable. Why do you persist in your denial of the Kah-ka?'_

Tel-has-mar? Oh. T'Pring's husband had died. Nyota glanced at the date. It had been sent five weeks after the destruction of Vulcan. If she'd been suffering bond sickness that entire time… well. Nyota hoped for her sake her marriage had been one based in logic rather than affection. She skipped forward a dozen messages or so.

T'Pring was just as beautifully dressed, but again, she seemed more emotional.

' _You may keep your human as mistress if you require it. Since she cannot give you children I care not.'_

Nyota huffed at the screen, the pity she'd felt for Spock's ex evaporating. She cued another message.

' _Husband. You must come.'_

Another.

' _What have I done to displease you?'_

Another.

' _I feel you and yet you do not answer. We are bonded still and you leave me to madness.'_

She stopped. T'Pring was frozen on the viewscreen. In place of the perfectly made up, dressed and coiffured woman of the first message there was a wild looking woman with her hair loose clearly dressed for sleep. Her eyes were strangely wide. As if she were drugged. Or mad. She'd gone from a quite reasonable suggestion, (or so it would seem to her), to calling Spock 'husband' and speaking to him as if they _were_  married or bonded.

Nyota swallowed. She cued the last message.

T'Pring appeared elaborated dressed and adorned once more. Despite her appearance her voice still sounded emotional and her eyes were strange.  _'Husband. Lady T'Prak tells me you have agreed to reconcile. I am gratified.'_

It had been sent two days earlier. There was no doubt in Nyota's mind that T'Pring was the reason her bond to Spock was gone. She didn't give a second's thought to the claim about Spock agreeing to reconcile however. She  _knew_  his thoughts on  _p'pil'lay._  He'd shared them most emphatically with her after T'Pau had re-bonded them.  _'I will die before I am parted from you again in this manner k'hat'n'dlawa.'_  he had said. No. None of this had been done with Spock's agreement. She'd felt his panic the moment before their bond had been severed.

Impulsively she patched herself a direct priority one subspace connection to New Vulcan - to Sarek via his routing address at Vulcan High Command. With Spock's access codes and her knowledge of the ship's subspace communications, it was an easy enough task.

It was answered by an assistant. Nyota was cognizant that she was quite casually dressed – in a simple robe without makeup and with her hair loose, but she tried to affect a haughty demeanour at any rate. She didn't wait for the aide to speak.

' _Please inform Administrator Sarek that Spohkh's wife would speak to him briefly of a matter of import.'_

The Vulcan hesitated. Nyota restrained a sigh.  _'If you do not inform Sarek immediately I will simply contact Lady Amanda.'_

' _Of course T'Sai.'_  the aide replied somewhat diplomatically. The screen flickered to a holding icon. It was several minutes before transmission resumed. Gratifyingly it was Spock's father.

' _Daughter.'_  He greeted her politely.  _'I am pleased you appear recovered. T'Pau thought your condition could be quite grave.'_

' _Honoured Father,'_ she returned in kind _. 'The ones who have taken Spohkh, I believe them to be T'Pring and a woman named T'Prak. T'Pring has sent Spock increasingly erratic missives over the past few months. It appears losing her husband in the Immeasurable Loss has driven her mad. She refers to Spock as 'husband' and speaks of their bond as if it still remained. In her last message she claimed T'Prak had told her Spock had agreed to reconcile with her.'_

Sarek's face did not reveal anything.  _'A lie.'_  he said, sounding almost surprised.

Nyota supposed realising a Vulcan had lied  _would_  be a little shocking to one.

' _This would explain the p'pil'lay. T'Prak is an elder capable of such a thing. Inform your Captain of this if you have not already, I will see to it appropriate actions are taken here.'_  He made the ta'al with his right hand. ' _Peace and long life daughter.'_

Nyota nodded and returned the salute. _'Live long and prosper honoured father.'_

She sat for a minute wondering what to do. She would tell Kirk, but then what? He and McCoy would join forces to keep her strapped to a biobed if they could.

The ship's intercom came on, Ensign Chekov's distinctive voice echoing from the speaker.  _'Attention all crew. We will be arriving at New Vulcan in T-minus 2 minutes. All hands report to stations.'_

She got to her feet. At least she had an excuse to go to the bridge


	11. Chapter 11

**Kirk**

Jim sat in his chair, hands steepled below his chin. He didn't know what awaited him above New Vulcan, and he didn't like that.

'Arriving at New Vulcan in 10 seconds Captain.' Chekov informed him.

Jim nodded and watched the viewscreen. The lines of stars stilled and took on stationary positions. 'Is the Vulcan ship here Ensign?' Kirk asked.

'Affirmative Captain.' came the response. 'It is holding a standard orbit. Scanners indicate it has its shields up.'

They wouldn't be able to beam over with the shields up.

'Captain, we are being hailed by Vulcan High Command.' called Gaila from the communications console.

'On screen.' Jim instructed her.

A dark-haired Vulcan woman appeared on screen. Jim flashed her the Vulcan salute, managing to get his fingers to behave for a change. Before he could offer greetings she spoke.

'Captain Kirk. I am Sub-Commander T'Rel. Administrator Sarek is currently in negotiations with the Captain of the Ship holding Commander Spock. Please maintain standard orbit.'

The transmission cut. Jim rolled his eyes.  _Vulcans._

'Captain?' Gaila asked.

'Yes Ensign?'

'You have a priority 1 communication from Starfleet Command Sir.' she informed him.

Jim clenched his teeth.  _Great._  'I'll take it in my ready room.'

Jim took a moment to compose himself before he switched on the console at his desk and accepted the incoming transmission.

It was Admiral Komack. He'd been hoping for Pike. He managed not to sigh. Just.

'Admiral.' he greeted. 'To what do I owe the pleasure?'

The Admiral frowned. 'You've diverted from your logged mission route. You're 70 lightyears off course Captain. An explanation is in order.'

'Certainly sir.' Jim replied. 'One of my crew was… kidnapped sir. We are in pursuit.'

Komack raised an eyebrow. 'Kidnapped by whom?'

'As yet unidentified Vulcans sir.'

The Admiral frowned. 'Kirk, the situation with Vulcan Command is delicate. I don't want you standing on anybody's toes.'

'Of course not sir. We are co-operating in full with Vulcan High Command.' Jim reassured him.

Komack didn't look entirely convinced. 'Well good. Offer assistance, but don't interfere. The last think we need is a diplomatic incident.'

'I'm not going to sit back and leave a member of my crew a prisoner.' Jim replied making an effort to keep his voice even. 'Sir.'

Komack raised an eyebrow, his voice loosing what little warmth it had. 'The Vulcan authorities can handle it Captain. I assure you they are quite capable.'

Jim nodded in agreement, but couldn't help but disagree. 'With all due respect, they aren't as capable as the  _Enterprise._ '

' _Captain.'_  Komack replied sharply. 'I told you, I  _don't_  want an incident. We don't want to give the extremist element on New Vulcan any more holo coverage. After the incident with the red matter High Command is touchy as hell.'

Jim frowned. 'The crew member is Commander Spock sir. Administrator Sarek seemed to appreciate our presence. I don't think there's any risk of an 'incident'.'

'Commander Spock?' Komack inquired.

'Yes sir.' Jim was hopeful the Admiral would relax a little, give Jim a bit more leeway knowing it was Spock who was taken.

Komack was silent for a long moment. 'That makes the situation  _more_  complicated rather than less. Be careful Kirk. If this blows up in your face it's your command on the line.' he said.

Jim held in a frown. Starfleeet Command was always so damn eager to blame him for everything. 'Understood Sir.'

'Keep me informed. Komack out.'

Jim stared at the screen for a moment before activating the ship's intercom. 'Engineering. Scotty?'

There was a brief pause.  _'Aye Captain?'_

'Get up to the bridge, I need your expertise.'

' _On my way Captain.'_

Jim returned to the bridge. He looked to Gaila and raised an eyebrow questioningly. 'No word from Vulcan Command Captain.' she replied to his unspoken query.

He nodded and glanced over his bridge looking for inspiration.

'Chekov. What can you tell me?' he asked vaguely. Maybe his Russian whizz kid would offer some insight.

'Very little Captain.' he replied apologetically. 'We cannot lock onto the Commander's communicator signal, most likely the unit has been destroyed. Sensor scans of the ship are incomplete due to their shields.'

Jim frowned in thought. They needed to get onto that ship.

The turbolift cycled open and Scotty wandered onto the bridge.

'Scotty! Time for you to prove your genius yet again.' Jim proclaimed.

The engineer shot Jim a sceptical look. 'Oh aye captain?' he asked warily.

'Yep. You're going to get a transporter beam through a tactical disruptor shield.'

'Oh. I am, am I?' Scotty inquired mildly. 'That's quite ambitious of me.'

'A walk in the park for you Scotty.' Jim reassured him with a shoulder slap.

'Theoretically, it  _is_  possible.' Scotty replied slipping into 'lecture' mode. 'It's a matter of adjusting for the effect of the resonance of the shields upon the molecular frequency of the beam.'

Jim blinked. 'Good. Get to it.'

Scotty frowned. 'What, right now Captain?'

'Five minutes ago would be perfect.' Jim replied.

'Well, I'll try…' the engineer replied. 'Can I at least borrow Chekov?'

'Be my guest.' Jim motioned to the Ensign. 'Go help Scotty break a few more laws of physics Chekov.'

He grinned in excitement and shot to his feet. 'Very good Captain!'

The turbolift cycled again.

Uhura stepped onto the bridge. She was wearing Vulcan clothes with her hair loose. It was longer than he'd thought. Jim rarely saw her out of her uniform and hadn't seen her hair down since that first night he'd met her at the shipyard. She looked like a different person. 'Captain.' she greeted him tersely.

'Lieutenant. Good to see you out of medbay.'

'Thank you sir. I have information on the Vulcan ship.' Uhura could be just as blunt as her boyfr- _husband._

'I'm all ears Lieutenant.'

'I believe the main perpetrators are a Vulcan elder named T'Prak, and her granddaughter T'Pring.' Uhura replied.

Jim frowned. 'An elder kidnapped Spock? Why?'

'It's complicated. But it's a personal…  _vendetta._  Not a politically motivated one.' she clarified hesitantly.

Clearly she wasn't telling him the whole story, but it was something of a relief. A personal vendetta meant no 'Diplomatic Incident'. Which meant no court martial for James T. Kirk. 'So why have they taken Spock?' he asked.

Uhura frowned slightly. 'I don't have all the details, but I have a theory, one that Administrator Sarek agrees with.'

'You've spoken to the Administrator?' Jim asked in surprise.

'Yes sir. To confirm my suspicions.' she explained.

'You've got a direct line to Sarek of Vulcan?' he inquired in interest. Uhura blinked. Glanced around the bridge. The crew were all silent, focused intently on their work and obviously eavesdropping.

'Not exactly sir.' she replied vaguely.

Jim let the subject drop. 'And this theory?'

'T'Pring is Spock's ex-fiancée.' she replied remarkably calmly considering.

'His ex?' Jim asked in confusion. An angry jilted ex? That didn't sound very Vulcan.

'Yes. She's… quite disturbed. She lost her husband with Vulcan. She seems to have confused him with Spock.'

She sounded almost concerned. Pitying. Uhura had a bigger heart than him. If he'd been in her position he'd be pissed at this T'Prong woman, crazy or not. 'So what are they going to do with Spock?' he asked.

'I think T'Prak will try and bond him to T'Pring. She probably hopes it will help her granddaughter regain some sense.' Uhura replied thoughtfully.

'What? You mean  _marry_  him to his ex?' Jim asked.

Uhura frowned. 'It wouldn't be marriage, not without his consent.'

'Well, Spock's never gonna give them that.' Jim reassured her. 'And Administrator Sarek is talking to the Captain of the ship as we speak, he might be able to get him to hand over T'Prak and T'Pring without us needing to intervene.'

Uhura swallowed. 'Sir, can I speak to you privately for a moment?'

'Of course.' Jim wondered what she else she had to say. She'd just divulged some pretty personal information in the middle of the bridge, whatever else there was had to be pretty bizarre.

'Could we get Dr McCoy?' she asked almost nervously.

Jim frowned. 'Nothing wrong is there Lieutenant?'

'No no, he'll just be able to help explain some things.' she replied.

Jim nodded and palmed the ship's intercom. 'Medbay. This is the Captain speaking. McCoy to the bridge.'

Five minutes later he and Bones were watching Uhura pace in his ready room. The pretty dress and the matching robe she wore fluttered about her as she turned. It was a very dark blue colour. Jim could just make out weird Vulcan symbols along the lapels of the robe. She looked very exotic and very beautiful. Like an Arabian princess from  _1001 Nights_  or something.

On Jim's computer console another beautiful woman in Vulcan robes was talking. The translator program was causing a slight delay, but it seemed to be translating quite accurately. Spock's ex really was nuts. Uhura had played the first few, _weird_  but sane messages, (for a Vulcan at least), and Spock's response before playing half a dozen random messages from the months that followed. The message they were currently watching was one in which the admittedly gorgeous T'Prang had begged almost like a jilted human woman, (something Jim was quite familiar with), for Spock to come to her, ended.

'And Spock hadn't even listened to them?' Jim asked into the silence.

'No. Only her first two messages. He would have found the entire thing very uncomfortable. The polite thing on Vulcan when you encounter someone who is mentally ill or has their 'logic impeded' for whatever reason is to ignore them.' she replied.

'Poor woman.' Bones remarked. 'Clearly suffering from acute post-traumatic stress disorder.' He huffed. 'And with how Vulcan's are mentally bonded to their spouses, well, it's not all that surprising.'

'She  _kidnapped_ Spock.' Jim reminded him.

'No, sounds like this T'Prak organised that. This poor woman couldn't have. She's delusional. In that last message I think she was hallucinating. She was calling Spock 'Stonn', she didn't even know who she was talking to. It's  _criminal_  that she'd not receiving proper care.'

'I agree. I wonder how many Vulcans are in her position?' Uhura said thoughtfully. 'Traumatised and being ignored rather than treated.'

Jim glanced at her in surprise.

'However that's not what I wanted to talk to you about.' She turned to Jim. 'You're going to beam over there and look for Spock aren't you Jim?'

She so rarely, correction,  _never_  called him by his first name. Alarm bells went off in Jim's brain. She was trying to put him in a good mood. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. 'No. Not happening.' he informed her before she had the chance to ask.

'You'll need me.' she said.

'No way Lieutenant, you're lucky I even let you leave medbay.' he replied.

She sniffed. 'T'Prak severed our marriage bond so she could force Spock to bond with T'Pring.'

'You're probably right, but Spock's not going to agree it.' Jim said.

'There's one way he probably would Captain.' she glanced at McCoy. 'You can't repeat what I'm about to tell you.' She paused, actually lowered her voice as if someone might overhear. 'Vulcans don't talk about it. Ever. Okay?'

Jim exchanged a curious look with Bones. 'Okay fine. What is it?' he asked.

'McCoy?' she insisted.

Bones frowned. 'Hey! I didn't tell Jim here your name back at the Academy, and I didn't tell him you were married either.' He lifted his head high. 'I'm a  _doctor._  I can keep a confidence.'

'Good.' she replied then paused and frowned. 'This is going to sound weird, but just bear with me. ' She took a deep breath. 'Vulcans... go into heat.'

Jim blinked. What?

'Every seven years.' Uhura continued. 'If they don't mate they die within about a week. It has such a drastic effect on their hormone levels that they more or less go crazy. It makes them very violent. They can't even _speak_  in the final stages, or even  _think_  properly.' She glanced at Bones. 'You remember when you treated me back at the Academy Doctor?'

Bones frowned. ' _That's_  what that was?'

Uhura nodded. 'More or less.'

Bones looked disturbed. He shot a glance at Jim. 'I think she's telling it like it is Jim.'

Jim frowned. 'Wait, what happened at the Academy?' What was going on? Vulcans went into  _heat?_

Bones waved a hand. 'Nothing Jim. Let's stick to the issue at hand.'

'If T'Prak can induce that state in Spock,' Uhura continued thoughtfully, '- he won't  _be_ Spock. He probably  _will_  let her bond him to T'Pring.'

Jim blinked. He was having difficulty processing all the crazy stuff Uhura was spouting. 'Vulcan's 'go into heat'?' he asked belatedly.

Uhura nodded. 'Yes. They call it  _'pon'farr'_ or simply their  _'time'._  It was a cycle shared by most life on Old Vulcan. It had something to do with solar flares or something.' she waved a hand dismissively. 'My point however, is that T'Prak wouldn't risk kidnapping Sarek of Vulcan's son unless she was  _certain_  she'd get what she wanted. This seems the most likely way for her to do that. If she can induce pon'farr in Spock, she can offer a logical explanation for her actions. Say she bonded him to T'Pring so he wouldn't die. Say he was behaving violently or irrationally and demanded it. Otherwise what she's done… To do anything to another Vulcan's mind, their  _bonds_  without permission, those are the greatest crimes a Vulcan can commit.'

'But, how could she make Spock… go into… heat?' McCoy asked awkwardly.

'There are triggers, things that can bring it on early or out of cycle.' She shot a pointed look at Bones. 'That's what happened last year. Since Vulcan weddings take place when the male is under the influence of  _pon'farr,_ and the ceremonies are performed by elders, it would make sense that elders would be familiar with all those triggers.'

'Okay, so Spock might be acting crazy when we find him. That's  _more_  of a reason not to bring you Uhura.' Jim pointed out.

She shook her head. 'No.  _I'm_  Spock's bondmate. If given a choice between me and T'Pring, he's going to want me. If he's in that state, I'm your only chance at controlling him. He'll be  _violent._  You won't be able to reason with him.'

'But with your bond broken and with Spock crazy, will he remember that you're his 'mate' as you put it?' Jim asked.

Uhura looked awkward for a moment. 'He'll know straight away that I'm his.' She said. 'Even if he's mad with the blood fever, he'll be able to, um.' She coughed and looked at her fingernails awkwardly. '… smell himself on me.'

Bones raised a sceptical eyebrow.

Uhura pressed a hand to her forehead. Her cheeks had darkened with a blush. 'When this is all over you  _cannot_ talk to Spock about any of this stuff, he'd be mortified.' she continued. 'But, Vulcan's have a really highly developed sense of smell. In  _plak'tow_  Spock will be extra sensitive, even if he is totally out of it and doesn't recognise me, I'm 99% sure he'll be able to tell I'm pregnant and that it's his.'

'Plack toe?' Bones asked in his 'studious' tone of voice.

'The blood fever, the final stage of pon'farr.'

'Look Uhura, even if you're right, we'll just stun Spock and bring him back here. Then we can do whatever needs to be done without you risking yourself. If something were to happen to you, Spock would never forgive himself.' Jim said.

'And if something happens to you, if Spock hurts or  _kills_ one of the crew, he'll never forgive himself. And besides, whatever happens to Spock might as well be happening to me.' She raised a hand to silence the rebuttal on the tip of his tongue. 'And no, I'm not just saying that. The only reason I'm not raving down in sickbay like T'Pring is because I'm pregnant and the child has a connection to Spock. If I wasn't pregnant, or if that connection was severed because Spock  _died_ , I'd fall back into _tel-has-mar_. A few days and I'd be  _insane_. So I  _have_  to come because whatever gives you the best chance of keeping Spock alive automatically gives me the best chance as well.'

'Uhura.' Jim began. 'You're pregnant. Your husband's insane ex has kidnapped him. And she's not just insane she telepathic and three times as strong as you. I am not bringing you.' Nothing she could say on the matter would convince him. He  _knew_ Spock wouldn't want her risking herself.

She glared at him for a long moment before she abruptly turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, robes billowing behind her.

Bones watched her go. 'Something tells me she'll be back Jim.'


	12. Chapter 12

**Spock**

He was uncertain how much time had passed. His ability to keep track of such things had eroded entirely.

The  _other_  was clawing at him again, pulling at him within his mind. She grew ever more persistent Spock shoved her roughly away from him and pulled his thoughts as far from her as possible, trying to hold himself apart. She began yelling and calling out loud instead of through her mind. Spock ignored her. For a moment his mind cleared slightly and he remembered exactly what he was doing. He deftly re-routed a circuit with fingers that only shook a little. The forcefield to his left dissipated. He triggered the door.

It opened.

A guard entered the doorway, phaser in hand, his eyes on T'Pring's crouched hissing figure. Spock waited until he was a step into the room and then delivered a nerve pinch distractedly. The guard crumpled to the floor glassy-eyed, his phaser clattering to the deck beside him. Spock regarded it for a moment, his head tilting to one side. A weapon. He picked it up. Considered. It felt odd in his hand. He sneered and let it fall to the deck.

Behind him T'Pring was slouched on the floor calling, but not for him.  _'Stonn! Husband!_ '

He ignored her and stalked out into the corridor without a thought for the raving woman. He needed to get off the ship. He needed to find _his_  woman. Thoughts of her, of her scent and her cool skin, calmed him slightly. She was nearer. She'd been far from him. Across the stars…  _Star._ At the word something tripped in his that her name?  _Khio'ri?_  It sounded... almost right. He growled in frustration as his thoughts refused to clear, his memories fogged.

At least she was closer… nearby. But not on this ship. He needed to get off the ship if he was to find her.

He had reached an intersection in the ship's corridors. He turned to his left, his nostrils flaring. The spicy smells of food and the sounds of muted V'tosh in conversation drifted down with the recycled air from that direction. The corridor ahead was sterile and silent. He moved forward. He needed to avoid being seen. The ones who'd hurt him, taken his mate from him and tied him to the other must not see him. He had to get to... the room with the... round lights. He strained his thoughts. The  _pads_.

His satisfaction at recalling the name of that which he seeked was marred by something half-remembered. As he made his way silently down the corridor, ears pricked for the sound of anyone nearby, his thoughts twisted madly as he tried to latch on to it.

_Pads. Transporter pads._

Something... there was something. He recalled the static sensation of the transporter beam and the disorientating skip in time when his atoms were de-materialised and reassembled elsewhere. But that was not it. To get to his woman he must leave the ship. To leave the ship he must...  _beam._  to Beam he... he... for a split second his thoughts cleared slightly, like a break in the clouds on an overcast day.

_He could not utilise the transporter beam if the ship's disrupter shield was in place or if the ship was at warp. Whilst he was familiar with Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott's transwarp theory, he was not versed in its practical application. Therefore it was logical to seek engineering where he could establish the status of the ship and disengage the disrupter shields or warp drive as necessary, at which point he would be able to use the transporter to -_

The coherent stream of consciousness frayed and snapped like a thread and he was left reeling once more. Engineering. He must get to Engineering.

* * *

**Nyota**

Nyota returned to Spock's quarters and tried to think. There was no way of knowing if or when Scotty might figure out how to beam through the Vulcan ship's shields. There wasn't anything she could do. She paced across the living area. Seven steps from the replicator to the bedroom door. She turned. Seven steps back. A nervous energy filled her. She couldn't sense Spock, but she had a feeling he was… looking for her? Needing her? She wasn't where she was supposed to be. That much was clear. Something pulled at her. It reminded her of a very muted variant of the compulsion of tel'esta.

An hour passed. She tried to meditate. She found herself nodding off. She tried to drink some calming tea. It didn't calm her, but it did make her need to use the bathroom repeatedly. She gave up trying to do anything and wallowed in her black mood. Curled up on Spock's side of the bed with a portable viewscreen she replayed old subspace messages he'd sent her over and over.

There were several short missives sent from him when he'd been away on missions with the Captain, but the longer ones were older. Things he had sent her from the  _Nelson_  before they had been bonded.

Seeing him, hearing his voice, was soothing, calmed that awful nervous feeling.

' _McCoy to Transporter Room 2'_

Nyota snapped awake suddenly at Gaila's voice issuing loudly from the ship's intercom. She blinked, looked at the computer console laying on the bed beside her.

The last message she'd been listening to was still repeating, Spock's voice had apparently lulled her to sleep. She watched it for a moment as her brain woke itself up. It was a message he'd sent her from the  _USS Nelson._

_' _Cadet Uhura. I apologise for my delayed response to your message. The ship's doctor insisted I remain within medical for 3 days, although I was capable of returning to my duties 32 hours and 17 minutes after my initial admittance - '__

She tapped the console and paused the playback. Spock froze on the small view screen in his old red uniform. She swallowed thickly and exited out of the recording. The chrono in the corner of the screen indicated that she'd been asleep for almost three hours. In an instant she was on her feet. If McCoy was being summoned to the transporter room, then Kirk was beaming somewhere. He inevitably dragged the doctor along with him when he left the ship, even when medical expertise wasn't required. McCoy was Kirk's safety blanket or something. If he was being called to the transporter room, then they were beaming to the Vulcan ship most likely.

She ran from the room. Crew stared as she bolted past, but she ignored them. Her soft shoes slid against the shiny deck, but she didn't slow her pace. In the turbolift she tapped her foot impatiently. The moment the door opened she sprinted towards transporter room 2.

Inside Scotty sat at the controls, an ensign beside him. ' - just gone?' he was asking the younger man.

'Yes sir, the bridge reports that their shields are completely down.'

'Well.' Scotty replied sounding miffed. 'Might have saved us a lot of bother if they'd done that five hours ago before Chekov and i -' He broke of mid-sentence and looked up at her in surprise and interest. 'Lieutenant?' he inquired in confusion.

Nyota stared at the platform, it was empty.

'Has the Captain beamed aboard already?' she inquired breathlessly.

'Er, yes?'

'You figured out how to beam through their shields?' she asked coming to stand nearby.

'Oh, well, it was quite simple really.' he replied eagerly. 'Just a matter of mapping the frequency distortion of their shield and adjusting to suit. Not sure the same technique would work on military grade shields, but for a civilian class disruptor it worked just fine.' He frowned. 'Course it was all apparently for nothing since they took their shields down not a minute after I beamed the Captain and the others over. Damned waste of time.'

Nyota nodded, staring over his shoulder to the transporter controls. There were co-ordinates still set. She remembered beaming herself down to Omicron Ceti III under the influence of Spock's  _tel'esta._  Looking down at the console she realised she knew how it worked. If the shields were down and she didn't need to do the complicated 'frequency distortion adjustments' Scotty had mentioned, she could beam herself over to the ship. To Spock. Suddenly she had no choice.

'Well I'm still impressed Scotty.' she said. 'Beaming through a disrupter shield is pretty incredible.'

The man smiled bashfully. 'Well, I don't like blow my own horn…'

She laughed and rested her hands on his and the ensign's shoulders. There was something else she remembered. 'Oh he's too modest? Isn't he?' she inquired of the blushing Ensign beside him.

The young man smiled shyly. Nyota shifted her hands slightly, glancing between both men with a smile. The Ensign started to say something, but instead slid forward bonelessly in his chair. Scotty likewise flopped over.

Nyota bit her lip and regarded her handiwork guiltily. She carefully arranged them in their chairs so they wouldn't wake up on the floor at least. She'd owe Scotty a huge apology after this. Hopefully he'd forgive her. She didn't have time to convince him and even then, she didn't want to implicate him in her disobeying orders.

She didn't have long. Hendorff had told her that her version of the Vulcan Nerve Pinch only lasted a few minutes. Leaning in between the two unconscious men she engaged the nearest pad on a delay timer to the pre-set co-ordinates. She picked up a phaser, a communicator and a tri-corder from the rack, checking the charge on them as she quickly crossed to stand on the transporter pad.

There was the usual tell-tale buzz and white light and then she was taking a deep breath of warm air and her feet pressed more firmly against the deck beneath her. Environmental controls set to Vulcan standard. Higher artificial gravity and ambient temperature. She glanced around herself. She was in a cargo hold or something. There where large shapes around her, looming in the dark. Spock was nearby, she  _knew_ it, just as surely as she knew he knew  _she_  was near. He'd come looking for her, she was certain.

She tucked the comm into the wide sash-like belt of her robe. It was snug enough to hold the device in place. The phaser she set to stun and kept in her hand and the tri-corder she looped over her shoulder. She ran a life-sign scan set to human settings for body temperature and heart-rate. The program executed and displayed its findings. Four humans, 78 meters away and 16 meters below her. Three or four decks then. She ran another scan to get a rough layout of the ship and spent a few minutes regarding the rough scanned layout. It looked like there was a large turbolift at the back of the hold she was inside. It was most likely for transporting cargo and less likely to be in use than the smaller ones off the main corridors.

She made her way quickly but quietly through the dark racks of supplies and luggage. The lift was illuminated. Her tri-corder didn't indicate any crew within ten meters for several decks. The doors opened automatically.  _'Down 3 decks.'_  she instructed in Vulcan. She didn't know the correct designations for the decks. Her instructions were apparently sufficient however and the large lift hummed to life and sunk down inside the ship.

Her tri-corder indicated Kirk and the others were on this deck. There was no one else within 30 meters. But dozens in between herself and the Captain. She paused in the lift, going through her options. She could attempt to sneak around the Vulcans using her tri-corder and stun any who discovered her. Or… perhaps a more obvious approach was the best.

She pulled off her robe and looped the tri-corder over her shoulder of her dress before pulling the robe back on. The device was now for the most part hidden by the voluminous outer garment. As she refastened her belt she tucked both the phaser and comm inside. Finished, she tugged at her dress and robe, adjusting them and smoothed her hair back. She then reached back and pulled the cowl of her robe low over her head, hiding most of her face, including her eyebrows and ears.

As long as no one saw her face, she'd pass as Vulcan. Hopefully. She ran a finger down the lines of Van-Kal-Vuhlkansu glyphs on her robe, her fingers lingering of the letting of 'House Solkar' before skimming down to 'Maat t'Surak'. Hopefully no one would look too closely at her however. The ensemble she was wearing was one of the less ostentatious of those Lady Amanda had given her. The embroidery and detailing was black against the dark blue silk-like cloth, the contrast subtle and not very easy to read. She prayed no one would bother - the Van-Kal-Vuhlkansu glyphs would tell anyone who bothered to read them  _exactly_  who she was.

She spent a minute carefully plotting and trying to memorise the immediate area between herself and where she was detecting humans. There were lots of small rooms off to the sides of the main corridors. They seemed to be on an accommodations deck. The section Kirk and the others were in was more or less deserted however. In their vicinity she detected two Vulcanoid lifeforms only. She plotted two courses to reach them in case she needed to avoid something, tucked the tri-corder beneath her robe and then outwardly calmed herself.

When she stepped out into the corridor she did her utmost to impersonate the unhurried gait of T'Pau and other Vulcan women of her acquaintance. It was difficult. She felt very awkward and very human in the higher gravity. Thankfully her childhood in Kenya had left her well accustomed to heat and she wasn't sweating too obviously. That would be a dead giveaway. The corridor was clear for some time and she had a few moments to build momentum before she started encountering Vulcans.

The first two she passed, crew in uniforms, offered her polite nods. She dipped her head slightly in response. They paid her no further heed. Emboldened by their response she continued with more confidence. She knew from her scan that there were Vulcans in the rooms lining the corridor, but there were very few roaming the halls. She passed two women, both similarly dressed to herself save that they wore scarves over their hair rather than hoods. She exchanged polite nods with them.

Ahead the hallway fed into a dining hall. Nyota's tri-corder had indicated a dozen or so Vulcans in the space. She took a deep breath and crossed the room looking straight ahead. There was quiet murmured conversation in Vulcan around her and the soft tinkling of cutlery on plates. No one attempted to interact with her. She passed only one Vulcan in the corridor beyond. He stopped and stood to the side so she could pass. He wore rich robes. As she passed he bowed quite deeply and attempted to make eye contact. It was very forward behaviour for a Vulcan. Flirting? Or suspicion?

She avoided his gaze and turned her face slightly away from him to indicate her disinterest. She almost stumbled when she felt him touch her robe, his fingers tugging slightly at the material of the outer garment with its lines of script as she walked by him. It was a struggle to retain her faux Vulcan serenity and not send him a disapproving look. She felt his eyes on her back. She did not hear footsteps. At the turn in the corridor she allowed herself a quick glance back towards him.

He was staring at her.

She thought the look on his face was perhaps... suspicious. Had he noticed her robe? Was that why he'd touched it? She swallowed nervously. If he was involved in Spock's kidnapping he would naturally be wary of someone of House Solkar roaming the halls. He might even know who she was. She heard footsteps. Suddenly afraid she lifted her robes and ran for a little bit, grateful for her soft, quiet, shoes. After a few seconds she stopped and resumed her serene gait so the Vulcan would not see her panic when he turned the corner.

Kirk and the others were in the last room along the corridor. There hadn't been anyone nearby when she'd scanned minutes earlier. If the Vulcan confronted her she'd stun him. Nyota pulled her phaser from her belt and tucked the hand holding it inside the sleeve of her robe.

She felt his eyes upon her as she stopped at the door Kirk and the others were behind. It was not locked. She triggered it and risked a glance down the hall. The Vulcan was striding towards her purposefully. It was a struggle, but she kept her expression and movements calm and entered the room, tripping awkwardly over an unconscious Vulcan near the doorway.

Kirk, Dr McCoy, Lieutenant Sulu and Ensign Hendorff were all staring at her. Hendorff and Sulu had phasers drawn.

She waved a hand and pulled her hood down. 'It's me. Uhura. There's someone following me.' She explained quietly.

Kirk frowned at her. 'Goddammit Uhura –' he hissed.

She cut him off with a finger to her lips. If the Vulcan in the hall heard standard…

Her Captain glared at her and pointed at a pile of blankets on the small bed in the room. 'talk to her' he mouthed. Nyota blinked. It was a Vulcan woman. She approached her, confident that Kirk and the others would handle her stalker.

Although her face was twisted and distorted in agony, Nyota recognised her.  _T'Pring._

McCoy was standing over her, scanning her with a hand held medical tri-corder.

He spoke softly. 'A few bruises and a fat lip, but she's physically fine.'

'She's not fine. She's  _crying._  Vulcan's don't cry.' Nyota observed quietly. All her remaining bitterness and jealously of the woman evaporated from her heart. She felt only pity.

She sat beside her on the bed, but made no effort to touch her.  _'T'Sai T'Pring.'_  she softly intoned in Vulcan.

The woman frowned slightly but otherwise did not react. Nyota tried to think of words that might comfort or calm her.  _'You are ill T'Pring. But we can help you. T'Prak has behaved dishonourably. She has hurt you.'_

' _It burns! It burns and he is gone! Stonn is gone!'_  T'Pring wailed.

Nyota suddenly understood. T'Pring was not only suffering the effects of  _tel-has-mar_  but also  _plak'tow_. She felt a wave of intense anger at T'Prak. To torment her own granddaughter in such a way… She had a very human urge to pull T'Pring into her arms and comfort her. She did not of course.

She met McCoy's eyes. 'You brought a heavy sedative for Spock didn't you?'

The man nodded.

'Give it to her. She's suffering  _plak'tow_  on top of everything else.'

McCoy looked conflicted. 'But what about Spock? I don't have enough for two Vulcans, they're harder to knock out than an elephant.'

'I'm here. Spock will come with us.' she reassured him. 'If not we'll stun him.'

McCoy pouted but acquiesced. T'Pring slumped against the mattress, her breathing evening. McCoy pulled out his comm.  _'_ McCoy to Enterprise. One to beam directly to med bay. A Vulcan woman. She's to be kept restrained and sedated.'

' _Aye Doctor.'_  came Scotty's slightly groggy response. Nyota bit her lip shamefaced. McCoy gave her a look as he placed his comm on top of T'Pring for Scotty to lock onto. The woman vanished in a white glow shortly after.

'Scotty is not well pleased with you young lady.' he remarked.

'Neither is the Captain!' Kirk added. 'Not only did you disobey a direct order, you attacked two fellow Starfleet officers Lieutenant!'

Nyota pursed her lips. 'I'll face whatever punishment you deem necessary  _Captain,_  however I'd appreciate it if we could delay my court-martial until we find Spock.'

Kirk rolled his eyes. 'Well whoever was tailing you is gone so let's do that.'

'There's some sort of large room at the end of this corridor.' Nyota remarked. 'Since that Vulcan has most likely informed T'Prak or whoever's in charge that we're on board, they'll come looking for us, we should wait for them there. It's too crowded in this room.'

Kirk frowned. 'Why would we wait for them? Let's get Spock and beam outta here.'

'Spock's already on his way.' Nyota replied.

Kirk raised an eyebrow. 'You can tell?'

'Yes.' she hesitated. 'And a large room would mean you could cover me without having to stand close to me. T'Pring was in plak'tow, Spock will be as well. He might attack you. Also we have T'Pring, maybe we can bargain with T'Prak.'

Sulu was looking at a tri-corder. 'Half a dozen Vulcans approaching Captain.' he remarked.

'Fine! We'll do this your way Uhura.' he replied leading them from the room.

The large room proved to be an observation deck with a long line of windows and seating areas.

Nyota went and stood in a far corner. McCoy accompanied her. She shot him a questioning look.

'I've got a hypo here with Spock's name on it. It probably won't knock him out, but it will help.' he said.

'Alright. But don't make any sudden movements or touch me.' she warned him.

He nodded.

It was only a few minutes before the doors opened and two tall Vulcan guards dressed in traditional armour entered. They both held phasers. Sulu and Hendorff pointed their own right back at them.

'I'm Captain Kirk of the  _USS Enterprise_. I'd like to negotiate with Lady T'Prak for the release of my First Officer, Commander Spock.' Kirk called out calmly.

The guards said nothing, just moved into flanking positions on either side of the door. Two attendants in elaborate matching robes appeared, also holding phasers. Behind them came a woman who could only be T'Prak. She was old, not as old as T'Pau, but still ancient. Her robes were magnificent. Contrasting purple, black and white all embroidered in gold. Her hair was plaited and adorned with dangling jewels and a headdress sat atop the whole arrangement. She rested her arm on the Vulcan man who Nyota had encountered earlier.

'Lady T'Prak.' Captain Kirk guessed. He somewhat awkwardly made a Vulcan salute for her benefit. 'I wish to resolve this situation peacefully.'

'Where is my granddaughter human?' T'Prak inquired in heavily accented standard.

Kirk didn't react to her rudeness. 'Lady T'Pring is receiving medical treatment aboard the  _Enterprise.'_ he replied with remarkable diplomacy considering.

T'Prak stared hard at Kirk for a long moment then abruptly turned to regard Nyota, dismissing him rudely.  _'You. The human Spohkh disgraces himself with. You have done this thing.'_  she accused her in Vulcan.

' _It is you who have behaved disgracefully Lady T'Prak. You have committed great crimes against my husband. Sarek will not see the logic of them.'_  Nyota replied evenly.

' _What know you of Sarek of Vulcan?'_ she asked, her eyes flicking over Nyota dismissively.

 _'I know he calls me daughter.'_  she responded.

 _'Pah. That means nothing. _His affectation of pointless human niceties is well known.'__  T'Prak replied. ' _I have known him since he was a child. He will be pleased to know T'Pring and Spohkh have renewed their Bond.'_

' _They have not.'_  Nyota informed her serenely, restraining the urge to smile smugly. Just.

T'Prak frowned minutely.  _'They are bonded and mated under the plak'tow. T'Pring is Spohkh's wife now. Not you.'_  she switched to standard. 'Unbonded. Former wife. Perhaps Spock will keep you as his mistress, but you are Okosu S'chn T'gai no more. T'Pring will bear his heirs. Not you.'

Her words didn't have their intended affect. Nyota knew they weren't true so they didn't upset her at all. 'T'Pring was still in plak'tow when we found her. Spock would not have her.' Nyota switched to High Vulcan.  _'She bore not the mark of his possession. Thou hath failed.'_

' _Thou hath no right to speak in the tongue of mine ancestors. I hear thee not.'_  T'Prak replied waspishly.

' _The right is mine._ ' Nyota said,  _'I am S'chn T'gai Nyota, d'Vel'nahr, adun'a t'Spohkh. (Vulcan-by-choice, wife of Spock)'_

'You are  _nothing_. A mere distraction.' T'Prak responded speaking standard once more. 'You delude yourself that Spock sees you as anything more. He asked me to perform  _p'pil'lay_  when he realised it was his time. He and T'Pring long planned to renew their bond.' It was shocking to hear a Vulcan elder spout such blatant falsehood.

Nyota glanced at the Vulcan at T'Prak's side. 'Your pid-kom lies. Such dishonesty is unworthy of a Vulcan. You know this. How can you follow her?'

'She speaks only truth.' he replied.

Nyota regarded him in interest, wondering if he too lied or if he was just incredibly oblivious. The Van-Kal-Vuhlkansu glyphs on his clothing indicated that he was of T'Prak's clan, but not her House. A cousin of some sort. He would be honour bound to follow her unquestionably. It was conceivable he didn't really understand what was going on. Perhaps.

McCoy, of all people, backed her up. 'Just yesterday, right before we beamed aboard, Spock was telling me how glad he was he married Uhura here. If he'd wanted to divorce her, he would have done the logical thing and just told her. Not lied about it. Spock  _doesn't_  lie.'

There is was. The huge, massive flaw in T'Prak's tale. 'If Spock wanted to marry T'Pring he would have done so openly. He would not have risked a diplomatic incident feigning a kidnapping.' she said. 'He would not have kept such a thing from Administrator Sarek and Okosu T'Pau. You would have been welcomed to New Vulcan.'

The Vulcan glanced to his matriarch for reassurance. She was staring with quite transparent dislike at Nyota however and ignored him.

Nyota inhaled suddenly. She felt… something. Spock. Spock was coming. He was nearby. Her heart suddenly raced. She glanced over the crew awash in sudden nervousness. Spock would burst into the room and attack anyone and everyone. She needed to warn them… But how?

She caught Lieutenant Sulu's eye.  _'Shiki-kan ga kimasu. ( The commander comes.)'_  she told him in Japanese. He nodded slightly. At least  _one_  of them would be prepared…

Kirk didn't speak Japanese but he seemed to sense her meaning. He shifted slightly, ready to move quickly.

However the Vulcans also picked up on the exchange, defeating the whole purpose _. 'Kill them!'_  T'Prak ordered in Vulcan.

Nyota grabbed McCoy and yelled, 'Down!' as she pulled the doctor towards her and did just that.

They crouched behind a low Vulcan sofa. To her left Kirk and Sulu were behind an overturned table, taking turns to fire over it towards the Vulcans. However they were using phasers set to stun and their adversaries were not. The furniture was already smoking and starting to come apart. Their cover wouldn't last long. She palmed her phaser, but made no move to stand and use it. She was conscious of the fact that pregnant women shouldn't involve themselves in shoot outs. She'd stay behind her cover unless the situation became desperate.

' _He's coming! He'll kill you all!'_  Nyota yelled over the noise. She doubted her words would frighten the Vulcans, but they might distract them.

As if on cue, there was a loud yell. Nyota felt herself smile. It was Spock! Crazed  _plak'tow_  Spock, but Spock none-the-less. She still didn't move from her cover, even though she was dying to look at him. Sulu, Kirk and Hendorff were all more focused in their firing suddenly, not needing to return to their cover. Clearly Spock was distracting their opponents. Nyota heard wet snapping noises. Growls. Yells. One of the guards crashed into a nearby table, breaking it. His neck was clearly broken. Nyota winced and looked away. It was suddenly silent. Kirk and the others had stopped firing. Nyota peered over the smoking couch. Spock alone was still standing.

He was still wearing his uniform, though it was bloody and torn. His hair was messy. There was a gash on his cheek. His face was twisted in fury, but he was alive. Unharmed. Nyota stood fully. A wordless noise escaped her. Her heart was thundering in her chest and she felt giddy with a confusing surge of adrenaline and relief. She reached a hand out towards him.  _'Husband!'_ she called out across the room. For a long moment he stared at her from across the room, his dark eyes boring into hers, and then he was suddenly in front of her. Vaguely she heard Kirk yelling something. Spock grabbed the smouldering ruins of the couch and flipped it to the side in a casual display of Vulcan strength. McCoy let out a yell as his cover was abruptly removed, but both Nyota and Spock ignored him.

She stepped forward and his arms were around her. His grip on her was too firm, almost crushing, but Nyota didn't care. She wanted to press herself so close to Spock that her flesh would meld with his and they'd be never be parted again. Her heart was still beating rapidly, her breath coming in uneven gasps. She felt overwhelmed.  _/Spock!/_  she called his name in her mind, forgetting that they were not bonded, that he could not hear her.

His pressed his fever hot face against hers, rolling his head from side to side. Stubble scratched at her skin. Nyota found herself shivering, she dug fingers into his hair, inhaled the comforting smell of him. Spock. Yes yes yes. His hand grabbed at hers, entwined their fingers and she moaned as she felt the familiar shape of his mind slide against her. His thoughts were strange, fevered and mad, but she'd been expecting it, it didn't scare her. He groaned softly, his fingers twisting against hers, seeking the deepest connection possible. She pressed her thoughts as close to him as she could, let her presence calm that fever slightly.

He was taking deep breaths, inhaling the scent of her, growling low in his throat. The thoughts coming across the link of their fingers were vague, unclear.  _/T'nash-veh? Ha. T'nash-veh. Fe-telsu. t'nash-veh hi fe-telsu?. (belonging-to-this-one? Yes. mine. But unbonded. mine but unbonded?)/_  She felt his uncertainty. The bond with T'Pring had confused him. He recognised her as his wife, but they were not bonded. He didn't understand with his thoughts and wits slowed to the primitive levels of  _plak'tow._

He rubbed his face down the left side of her neck, she felt his intent and managed not to flinch when he tugged her robe and dress from her shoulder. She felt his wave of satisfaction and certainty when he saw the marks on her flesh. _/Ha. Ulidar t'nash-veh. Kosu t'nash-veh. t'nash-veh. t'nash-veh. t'nash-veh…(Yes. My mark. My woman. Mine. Mine. Mine…/_ he was growling loudly, pleased. The noise sent a warm flush of desire through Nyota that Spock felt through her fingers. He buried his face against her, licking and kissing her shoulder and neck, his teeth scraping over her skin. She tilted her head back, curling her fingers in his dark hair.

She was so wrapped in Spock she didn't notice McCoy moving until Spock jerked away from her and yelled. The next instant he'd back-handed the doctor and sent the poor man stumbling to the floor. He snarled wordlessly, one hand pressed to his neck. Nyota realised that the doctor had injected him with a hypo. The sedative no doubt. She felt Spock's intent, he was going to attack McCoy. She launched herself at him, clinging close to him.  _'Spohkh! Ashayam!'_  she called.

Instantly his focus snapped back solely to her. Her voice. He recognised her voice. She felt it through their fingers.  _'Spohhkhh..'_  she purred into his ear. He was running his fingers over and across hers in a more intimate version of the  _ozh'esta_  he usually only did when they were alone. He wanted her. She was his and he wanted her, burned for her. She felt it, his want was burning through his touch and seeping into her very skin. She was suddenly glad McCoy had intervened. Spock wanted to meld with her and she knew from experience if he did the _plak'tow_  would affect her as well. If that happened they'd quickly be doing a lot more than kissing regardless of their audience.

It was bad enough that Kirk had seen her in her underwear (twice!), bad enough that he'd seen Spock in this way, stripped of his logic and control by  _plak'tow. But_ for anyone to see them  _together._  Well. As a human she wasn't too embarrassed at others perhaps seeing them kiss. That was… okay. But anything more was mortifying. She knew in his right mind Spock would agree. And there was not only the matter of decency, there was also the added concern that she was pregnant. She had no idea what  _plak'tow_ would do to a child. It could be very dangerous.

Spock's fingers slid across her cheek, seeking her psi points. The urge to turn her face into his touch, to accept it, was torturous. Somehow she managed to pull herself from him and met his gaze fully, trying to explain her reluctance.  _'Spohkh. No. not yet.'_

The muscles in his temples flexed as he clenched his jaw. He dug fingers into her hair, his grip firmer, more insistent, angling her face towards him. He glared at her.  _/Ri. T'nash-veh. (No. Mine.)/_

She reached across the link of his fingers.  _/Bek-tor adun. Ak. (Wait husband. Soon.)/_  She could feel the sedative working upon him. It wasn't enough to knock him out, but he was dizzy, weakened slightly, the compulsion of  _plak'tow_  blurred slightly. But still, she felt it, a deep burning simmering under the surface of his thoughts, liable to burst into irresistible conflagration and strip him of all remaining logic and reason at any second. She turned so that she could make eye contact with Kirk over Spock's shoulder.


	13. Chapter 13

**Spock**

Finally he found her.

Other males fought around her, phaser fire lighting the room.

She was in danger.

He would protect her.

A group of Vulcans were attacking his mate and a group of humans,  _Starfleet,_ he recalled vaguely, were protecting her. Spock felt intense black rage fill him. He yelled, wrapped a hand around the nearest Vulcan's neck and snapped it. One of them turned to shoot at him, but a man in gold,  _Sulu_ , he thought his name might be, shot him and he crumpled to the ground. The three remaining Vulcan males turned away from where his bondmate was hidden.

The one nearest fired at him but he anticipated the shot and was able to twist to the side. He reached out, broke the man's fingers so he dropped his weapon and pulled him in close. Phaser fire darted around them, the Starfleet humans firing stunning bolts at the Vulcans. The Vulcan Spock had a hold of yelled something but his words were meaningless. He attempted to break free of Spock but he was weaker and his technique poor. Spock broke his neck as easily as he'd broken his companion's and tossed him aside.

The Starfleet humans were no longer firing. The Vulcans were all down. Three were lying on the floor, stunned. Spock recognised one of them. A male who had greeted him when he'd come aboard. He could not recall his name. His memories were fogged. He did recall the name of the old woman lying beside him however.

_T'Prak._

Anger twisted in him at the sight of the Vulcan elder. She had done this! It was her fault that he was gripped by the madness and his mate was in danger. She had taken his woman from him and tried to force the other upon him. He wanted to hurt her.

A noise drew his attention. He turned from T'Prak's unconscious form.

It was her.

She wore his name upon her robe. He recognised the shapes.  _Solkar. Surak._

His. She was his.

She reached up towards him, a slender brown hand he knew. She called to him, called him husband. She was more beautiful than he had recalled.

He heard one of the humans yell something but it was a distant, insignificant noise.

There was something in his way, he yanked it aside and pulled her to him. Soft and cool and clinging to him. Yes. Yes. He knew her. He knew her smell, the feel of her against him. It was right, as it was meant to be. Her skin was cooler than his, her heart beat slowly high in her chest and he felt her fragility but this was right too because his woman was…  _human._ Yes that was the word. His mind reached for her, reached for the cold place inside him but she was still parted from him. She was in his arms, but not his thoughts. He grabbed her hand, pressed his mind against hers.

He felt her sigh, felt her joy at his presence hum through his fingers.  _Love._  She loved him. He recognised that as well. He knew her love. He rubbed his face against hers, relishing her closeness. His, she was his – and yet why could he not feel her? He smelt himself upon her, knew her, and yet she was  _not_  his? He  _knew_  she was his bondmate, his logic and reason were gone from him, but his instincts told him she was his, and yet it was not her he felt in his mind, but the other one. The broken one. Silent now finally.

He frowned as he tried to understand. He knew this woman. Knew the feel of her mind as surely as he knew the feel of her body. He burned, burned for  _her_. No other. She sighed in his ear and he recalled the noise she made when he sunk his teeth into her shoulder and marked her as his.

Yes! His mark. That would prove it.

He grabbed at her clothing and she tilted her head so he could pull it off her shoulder. His marks. There. On her perfect brown skin. Relief. Satisfaction. Lust. He felt his chest vibrate as he voiced his pleasure. The noise aroused her and that pleased him too. He pressed his mouth to her, tasted the salt of her skin. She clung to him, moaned, pulled at his hair. Yes. His. She was his.

There was a sudden pain in his neck. Spock spun to face the attack. A human in blue. He threw him aside. He was familiar. He was the Doctor McCoy. It did not matter. Spock snarled at him. He would remove the man's arm…

 _She_  was suddenly wrapped around him. Her breath warm and sweet against him  _'Spohkh! Ashayam!'_

He forgot the doctor.

Yes. Ashayam. Beloved. Her voice was perfect, musical, he turned back towards her. She pressed herself closer and spoke again, softly against his ear.  _'Spohkhh…'_  His name. Yes, only she spoke his name thus. Only his ashayam. He must join them. Join his mind to hers and make them one. Then everything would make sense, be  _right._  He pressed his fingers into her face, felt the familiar blur of her thoughts sharpening… But she pulled away. He felt her desire, how she longed for him through their fingertips, and yet she turned her face from him. No. She was  _his._ She stared at him with big brown eyes. _Vansurik_.

' _Spohkh. No. not yet.'_  she whispered.

He clenched his jaw. No. She was his. He would join them as they should be joined, hear her thoughts as he was meant to, they would be one. She shook her head. He felt her want though, she  _wanted_ to feel his thoughts. Why would she deny him? She could not. She was his mate. His female. She wore  _his_ mark. She would submit to him. He sought her psi points again, but felt her fear. He paused, fingers digging into her cheek.

 _/Bek-tor adun. Ak. (Wait husband. Soon.)/_ she begged him through in her thoughts, fearful.

She feared him? That was not right. He would never harm her. He would sooner die than harm his ashayam.  _/The plak'tow Spohkh./_ she said through his fingers. The blood fever. He frowned. It would spread to her if he melded with her. That was her fear. He hesitated. He needed her, but he could not hurt her. She was afraid of the  _plak'tow_  and something else. Afraid he would hurt her? It took great effort but he formed words, curled his tongue arduously around each syllable,  _'Worla. Worla dash-tor nash-veh du.(Never. This-one would never injure you)'_

The fear he felt faded and he felt her love once more. His fingers pressed towards her psi-points again, but she turned her head and took his hand in her own, pressed it low against her abdomen.

' _Ptha nash-veh na'ish-veh.(I fear for this-one)'_  she said softly and Spohkh felt the meaning of her words through his fingers.

A strange and powerful feeling lanced through him. He had not felt its like before. He pulled her to him, shoved his face against her neck and inhaled her scent as he reached out with his mind through his fingers. She smelt of him. Deeply. It permeated her skin. He felt it, a connection, a link. A bond? Inside her. A child.  _His_ child. The burning was smothered in wonder, in satisfaction and pride.  _Yes. His his his his his._  Now all would know. He pressed his lips to hers. Kissed her. She twisted fingers in his hair and opened her mouth to him. He burned for her still, longed to pull her robes from her body and bury himself inside her, but he would be strong. He would resist. She was his ashayam, she carried his child within her. He would endure the burning.

He felt her sending him thoughts through their fingers, encouragement, love. He saw the medbay on the  _Enterprise_ , his father and grandmother. They would know what to do. He agreed. Yes. T'Pau would fix their bond. He would wait. To risk damaging their child was impossible. His fingers slid into her hair, away from her psi-points. He would kiss her. Yes. Kiss her. That was acceptable.

* * *

**Kirk**

One moment Spock was snarling down at the dead and unconscious Vulcans at his feet, the next he was utterly,  _eerily,_  still. He froze, staring at Uhura. Jim was reminded of an animal stalking its prey. She reached out an arm and said something in a weird language that Jim guessed was Vulcan. He couldn't be sure since his own knowledge of Vulcan was limited to  _'Dif-tor heh smusma (Live Long and Prosper)'_  which Spock had once informed him he 'pronounced so poorly it was rendered entirely unintelligible'.

His focus set upon her totally, Spock strode across the deck towards Uhura,  _glaring_  at her. He looked like he was going to snap her neck when he got his hands on her. Like he'd just snapped those two Vulcans' necks. Jim scrambled to his knees. 'Uhura!' he called in warning.

She ignored him. The stupid girl didn't understand how out of it Spock was. He wasn't going to recognise her! Jim felt helpless, like he was having a dream were everything happened in slow motion. He glanced at his phaser. It was still on stun, he lifted it bringing it to bear as Spock tossed aside the remains of what had once been a couch and grabbed Uhura. She wrapped her arms around him and Kirk no longer had a clean shot.

Thankfully Spock wasn't hurting her. Yet.

Jim steadied his arm and waited for a shot. Spock was rubbing his face against Uhura's in an... affectionate gesture? He was also making a weird rumbling noise.

Jim blinked.

Was he _purring?_

If not is was something damn close.

Nyota said his name, but with a weird accent that made it sound more alien than usual. ' _Spohkhhhhh.'_

Spock pulled her to him, shoved a hand in her hair and pressed his face between her neck and shoulder. Jim recalled Uhura's earlier claims about his sense of smell, that he'd be able to smell himself on her. Well, Jim wasn't sure if that was what was happening, but whatever he was smelling, Spock seemed to approve wholeheartedly.

He was growling, but it was most definitely a sound of approval. Like a big happy… tiger or something.

Jim watched nervously as Bones got to his feet and insinuated himself behind Spock, a hypo in hand. Uhura and Spock were oblivious. Spock had pulled her dress off her shoulder and seemed to be giving her a hickey. What was  _with_ those two and hickeys? Jim wondered idly. Bones took a breath, straightening, and then quickly pressed the hypo to Spock's neck.

The reaction was sudden and violent.

Spock spun, shoving Uhura behind his back and snarled aggressively at Bones.

Ahh. Shit shit shit. Angry tiger.

Jim contemplated stunning Spock, But Uhura was still in the way. Bones took one step backwards and then Spock casually back-handed him hard enough to send the man stumbling a few meters across the room to land in an uncomfortable heap on the deck. Jim winced sympathetically. He'd been on the receiving end of Spock's displeasure. Jim sighted along his phaser. He'd have to risk a shot. Chances were he'd  _probably_  miss Uhura, but Bones' chances if Spock wasn't stopped weren't looking so good

Before he could fire Uhura called out to Spock, tugging at the hand she still held. She said his name and something in Vulcan. Spock seemed to forget all about Bones and instead resumed his snugglefest with Uhura. Unfortunately she was now directly in front of Spock, effectively shielding him from Jim's phaser. Maybe intentionally.

Bones slowly crawled back away from Spock towards Jim.

For a moment Uhura's attention was focused on Spock, then she slowly turned them so Spock's back was faced at Jim and shot a pointedly look at him over his shoulder.

'What?' Jim mouthed.

'Ship!' she mouthed back.

Jim shook his head. Sure Spock seemed to be behaving himself with Uhura for now… who knew how he'd react to being transported though. Go crazy and attack crew left right and centre. Jim glanced at Bones who'd crawled over to sit next to him. He was grumbling under his breath about 'pointy-eared bastards' and dabbing at his face with a numbing field dressing Jim was quite familiar with. He looked back at Uhura.

'Sarek.' She mouthed again.

Jim frowned. He supposed she had a point. Sarek would know how to handle Spock. He held up five fingers for five minutes and mouthed. 'Safe?' she nodded.

Carefully Jim got to his feet and backed away slightly. He motioned for Sulu, McCoy and Hendorff to join him. Once they were as far from Spock and Uhura as the room allowed he pulled out his comm. 'Kirk to  _Enterprise.'_

' _Aye Captain. This is Enterprise.'_  Scotty replied.

'We've got Spock. McCoy's going to beam back and prepare medbay to receive him directly.' Jim glanced at Bones as he spoke and the other man nodded. He had a rapidly blossoming black eye.

' _Aye Captain.'_

'Now I need you to get me a comm-line to Administrator Sarek.'

' _Yes sir. Give us a sec.'_

Jim glanced back at Uhura and Spock as he waited. Spock had a hand pressed to Uhura's stomach and his face buried in her hair. As he watched the low rumble from Spock suddenly increased dramatically in volume. It echoed loudly in the silent room. There was no denying it any more. It was  _clearly_  a purr. Spock was a happy tiger once more. Jim found himself smiling at the absurdity of the situation.

Bones shook his head.

Hendorff looked disturbed.

Sulu shared an incredulous look with Jim. 'The Commander is…  _purring_  sir.' he whispered needlessly.

'He most certainly is Lieutenant.' Bones replied. 'I'm tempted to make a recording to play back at him next time he's being particularly logical.'

Jim smirked. 'I think Uhura just told him about Spock Jr.'

Sulu's eyes widened. 'Uhura's  _pregnant?'_  he asked.

Hendorff was doing the kicked puppy thing again. Awkward.

Bones sighed. 'Dammit Jim. That's hardly your news to be sharing with all and sundry.'

Jim shrugged. 'It's not like they're gonna be able to keep that under wraps for long Bones.'

The conversation was interrupted by Bones de-materialising as he was beamed back to the ship. 'Scotty took his sweet time.' Jim remarked.

'Lieutenant Uhura and Commander Spock are….?' Hendorff asked.

He shot the ensign a pitying look. 'Married.' he replied.

Hendorff blinked. ' _Married?_

'Hm. That explains a lot.' Sulu observed with casual understatement.

Jim's comm beeped. He flipped it open. 'Kirk here.'

' _Patching Administrator Sarek to your frequency now Captain.'_  Scotty informed him.

Jim held up a hand to indicate silence. 'Administrator Sarek sir.' he began.

' _Captain. You have news?'_

'We've got Spock sir, we're preparing to beam back to the  _Enterprise_  with him now.' he replied. 'Lieutenant Uhura says he's in 'Plack Toe' however.' Jim paused and glanced up at his First Officer. He and Uhura were making out.  _again_. 'He's behaving a little… um.  _a lot_  out of sorts.' he concluded diplomatically.

' _I see.'_ Sarek replied _. 'I shall bring an elder and meet you aboard the ship.'_

'Very good sir.' Kirk responded. 'We also have a few Vulcans in our custody, including Lady T'Prak.'

' _Vulcan authorities are already aboard the vessel. They will handle the situation from here.'_  Sarek said.

Good. Jim didn't want to have to deal with Vulcan prisoners. Civilians at that. And Admiral Komack certainly wouldn't want him to involve himself any more than necessary.

'I'll leave them under guard at these co-ordinates then sir. Kirk out.'

He snapped his comm closed and looked at Sulu. 'You and Hendorff keep everyone napping until the Administrator's men come and pick up our friends over there.'

'Yes sir.' Sulu replied.

Jim opened his comm again. 'Kirk to Enterprise. One to beam out on my signal and two on Uhura's, straight to medbay.' he instructed. 'Warn McCoy first.'

' _Aye Captain.'_

There was a delay of maybe thirty seconds, and then Kirk felt the tingle of the transporter beam.

Spock glared at everyone, snarling and growling when they arrived in medbay, but Uhura distracted him quite effectively by kissing him. It was plain from her technique that she'd had a lot of practice.

Jim rolled his eyes and sighed. 'I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting sick of watching Spock and Uhura make out.' he told the room at large.

Uhura awkwardly glared at him over Spock's shoulder.

' _Bridge to medbay. Administrator Sarek is beaming aboard.'_

Jim palmed the console beside the ship's intercom. 'Kirk here. Acknowledged.' He glanced at McCoy who was herding Spock into a private treatment room with Uhura and Nurse Chapel's assistance. 'I'll be back with Sarek and his healer.'

There was a squeal as Spock picked Uhura up and continued his detailed exploration of her tonsils with the Lieutenant hanging off him. Her robe was dangling from her elbows and one of her shoes had fallen off and lay abandoned near the doorway.

'Hurry.' Bones replied dryly. 'I'd rather not bear witness to any more weird Vulcan mating rituals than absolutely necessary.'

' _Orion_  mating rituals on the other hand…' Nurse Chapel remarked lightly.

Jim snorted.

Bones turned from glaring at the nurse to glare at him. Uhura managed to kick off her remaining shoe so it hit Bones in the back. Bones re-aimed the glare at her. She made a rude gesture with her hand.

Spock was oblivious to the entire exchange.

Jim shook his head and jogged out of the med bay.

Administrator Sarek and a very grandly dressed elder that Jim recognised as one of those Spock had rescued from Vulcan months earlier materialised upon the Transporter Pad moments after he arrived.

Jim carefully made the damned awkward Vulcan Salute with his right hand and bowed his head slightly. 'Administrator Sarek.'

'Captain.' Sarek replied returning the salute briefly. 'This is my honoured mother, the Lady T'Pau.'

Jim started slightly. T'Pau?  _The T'Pau?_  The only person to ever turn down a seat on the Federation Council?

And Spock's grandmother apparently. He'd never said...

'It's an honour, Lady T'Pau.' he said, inclining his head again in respect before addressing them both. 'I will take you to Commander Spock.'

He was intensely relieved to find his first officer and his chief communications officer both still more or less clothed and the medbay and its staff unmolested in his absence. Spock and Uhura were in one of the private treatment rooms. Spock was sat cross-legged on the biobed with Uhura in his lap. Their foreheads were pressed together and they were doing that weird finger thing with their hands. Bones and Chapel were standing in a corner of the room, as far from them as possible, referring to a medical tri-corder and talking to each other in low voices. They both looked up with obvious relief at Jim and the Vulcans.

Sarek held Jim back at the doorway of the room and T'Pau approached Spock and Uhrua alone.

Jim heard her speak in an alien rumble. Spock tilted his head and she pressed her fingers to his face. After several minutes she repeated the process on Uhura and then pressed both hands to them at the same time. When she stepped back she said a word in Vulcan and Jim saw Sarek slump ever so slightly in relief out of the corner of his eye.

'So, are they okay Administrator?' he asked quietly.

'Yes. T'Pau has bonded them once more.' he replied.

The aforementioned Vulcan woman stopped between them. 'Thou art soon to be a grandfather my son.' She informed Sarek in her archaic and heavily accented standard.

Sarek raised an eyebrow but otherwise did not react. 'I was unaware they were attempting to procreate.' he remarked with the typical Vulcan flair for understatement.

'They were not. From what mine granddaughter shared with me, it is the result of a visit to a planet with some fascinating plantlife.'

'Omicron Ceti Three.' Jim clarified.

He was interrupted from further explanation by a loud ripping noise and a moan. He glanced up to see his First Officer literally tearing off Lieutenant Uhura's clothes. Judging from the expression on her face, she seemed pretty pleased with the turn of events. In an instant he'd spun and followed the two Vulcans out of the room, Bones and a tittering Chapel hot on their heels. He glanced at Lady T'Pau, trying to look unaffected despite the fact that he felt himself blushing. 'Um, they'll be okay?'

She nodded. 'The  _plak'tow_  was artificially induced with a large dose of a hormone. It will pass swiftly.'

'Anything I should know?' Bones inquired.

'You are the physician?' she inquired.

'Yes Ma'am. Doctor McCoy.' Bones replied, giving an adorable little half bow. He couldn't offer a Vulcan his hand and he didn't have a hat to tip, so those irrepressible Southern Manners of his found another outlet.

'Do not disturb them. I will remain aboard until the danger passes.' she responded.

'What about T'Pring? I'm keeping her sedated, but I really don't know how to treat her.' Bones continued frowning. Jim sighed. He'd forgotten about Spock's crazy ex.

'T'Pring is on board?' T'Pau inquired quite sharply.

'Yes Ma'am. I've got her in a private room. She's delusional, raving, hallucinating.' Bones said. 'Lieutenant Uhura said she was in Plak'tow as well as suffering tel-has-mar?'

T'Pau exchanged a loaded look with Sarek. 'I will see to her.'

Sarek lingered for a moment as T'Pau followed Bones to T'Pring's room. 'Captain Kirk.' he remarked. 'I am grateful for your efforts in retrieving Spohkh.' Jim blinked in surprise. A thank you from a Vulcan? 'Diplomacy was the logical option given the situation, but I fear the outcome without your assistance would not have been as fortuitous.'

'Oh. There's no need to thank me Administrator.' he replied slightly awkwardly. Sarek's face was politely placid as he listened. Jim tried to think of something else to say. 'Spock's my First Officer. It's my duty to see to the welfare of my crew.' he paused. 'And to be honest, we didn't really do much. He'd already broken out of the room they'd locked him up in and I've got a feeling he's the reason their shields went down all of a sudden. To be honest I think he would have figured out a way to get back to the  _Enterprise_ without any help from either of us.'

Sarek inclined his head and for a second Jim almost thought he detected something, some tiny flicker of pride or amusement in his features. 'Spohkh inherited his mother's human inventiveness and resourcefulness. He has always been quite... adept at problem solving.'

It was something of understatement, but from a Vulcan Jim figured that was pretty much gushing parental pride right there.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My lovely beta was huge help to the next few chapters of the story. Against all odds we both became attached to 'T'Pringles' (lamb's nickname for her, best ever) and I wrote the second part of this chapter so we could deal with all our confused *feels* about her.

**Spock**

Just as she had last time, oko'mekh-il came and fixed their bond.

Her touch was cool and soothing. The burning abated a little. He could almost form full thoughts.

She removed the bond to T'Pring and Spock felt nothing but relief when she was gone from him. It was difficult, but he waited. Eons passed. And then he felt her where she was meant to be. Nyota. His  _Ashayam_.

_Nyota._

He was whole again and he could wait no longer. His mind reached towards hers eagerly and he embraced her in his thoughts. Bright human happiness and love filled him and he heard himself exhale deeply in an odd exhausted relief. The background ache of  _tel-has-mar_  evaporated into nothingness and their shared joy and relief echoed endlessly between them.

Oko'mekh-il withdrew and they were alone with their thoughts. Spock was vaguely aware of voices nearby, but he paid them no heed. He was uncertain of how long they sat wrapped around each other revelling in their nearness, his left hand joined to hers in the  _ozh'esta,_  his right pressed to her temple in  _kash-nohv_ and their faces pressed together. His thoughts were still twisted and strange, but he felt almost calm with the intensity of his relief at feeling his bondmate where she belonged, at that cold space being filled with her light and warmth once more.

Then Nyota shifted in his lap and suddenly he was aflame with the fires of plak'tow again. She made a tiny, breathy, pleading noise and Spock felt the need reflected within her, a sudden mad desire. She turned her face, rubbing her cheek against his and her lips along his jaw, her skin temptingly cool. He gave up all attempts at restraint. He kissed her, pulling his hand from her temple so he could twist it in her robes and tear at the cloth. Her cool brown skin proved too tempting and he was compelled to pull his mouth from hers so he could shove his face against her skin, her neck, her shoulder, the hollow of her chest. He rubbed his face against her and smoothed his hands across her body as it was revealed to him. Her skin was cool and smooth and shivered and jumped at his touch and he could not get close enough, could not touch her enough. He inhaled deeply against her collarbone, trying in vain to calm himself, but the scent of her cloyed his senses maddeningly and only served to fan his need. He pressed his mouth to her clavicle, lathed his tongue against the salt of her skin. She moaned and pulled at him, one hand fisting in his hair the other clawing at his uniform. He felt her wordless command though their bond. He yanked at her robe until it hung in a shredded mess from her arms and in a pool at her hips then pulled at his own clothes until he was likewise bare. Nyota licked and bit him, her fingernails scoring long green marks into his flesh.

She was chanting his name within her thoughts, pleading and demanding at the same time. Her thighs flexed around his hips, her body slipping hot and wet against him in what was most definitely the most tortuously wonderful sensation in the galaxy. She was equally frustrated and aroused, trying in vain to align their bodies, her movements clumsy and uneven with the intensity of her need. She whined his name in his ear and then licked the side of his face in a vague restless gesture of desire. He shifted beneath her, adjusting how she straddled his lap. Her body froze and she made a high pitched noise in the back of her throat as he pressed against her entrance. Spock wrapped a hand around her left thigh, adjusting the angle of her hips and joined them suddenly and forcefully. She wailed, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck and her body twisting in a slow grind against him. Her pleasure and satisfaction rippled through their renewed bond and Spock found himself groaning at the intensity of all that he felt. Her body was wrapped tightly around him and the smell of her surrounded him. He felt almost consumed by her, drowning in her perfect, intoxicating scent and the bright white glare of her lust and pleasure. His adun'a. His ashayam.  _/Nyotanyotanyota/_

She leaned back and looked down at him, her dark eyes half-closed and her mouth half-open, displaying the long line of her neck to him, wanting his mark. Yes. his mark. She was his and he had to be sure all knew it. Previously Spock had always marked her shoulder. This time he bit her higher, on her neck, where everyone would see. Her clothing would not cover it. Deep satisfaction throbbed through him and he growled against her skin. He felt her mad delight. She said his name. He bit her again, below her ear, letting his teeth sink deeply into her soft flesh. She gasped and groaned and pressed him closer in encouragement, her hands wrapping around his head. Satisfied for the moment Spock lifted his head to press his mouth Nyota's once more. She dug her nails deeply into the nape of his neck and curled her tongue into his mouth greedily. The stinging sensation of her fingernails drew a low growl out of Spock and she tightened her grip in response, gouging deep marks into his skin. Spock lost himself in her kisses, almost content, but he felt her growing frustration. At length she pulled her face from him and glared down at him.

Her eyes were dark, her swollen lips parted and her hair loose and tangled over her shoulders. Her warm breath prickled the skin of his jaw and neck. Spock wrapped a hand around the side of her face and her furrowed brow smoothed and her eyes fluttered shut as she leant into his touch. Her head turned into his palm, her teeth catching his thumb with gentle pressure. The marks he'd just placed upon her neck were more evident with her face turned. Spock wrapped his free arm around her, pulling her as close to him as possible. Her dark eyes opened. She was impossibly beautiful. Spock thought he might combust with the strength of what he felt for her. It was too much, too vast. He held her pressed hard against him, enjoying the sensation of being so entwined with her. It was difficult to tell precisely where he ended and she began.

She shifted her hips, grinding herself against him where their bodies were joined, and kissed him again. Her kisses were deep and rough, not really kisses at all. She pulled at his hair to tilt his head to her satisfaction, her tongue twisting in his mouth and her teeth catching at his lips. She was making whining impatient noises into his mouth and twisting her hips insistently. When she shoved him backwards Spock was content to follow her lead. He burned with the plak'tow, but it was a deep slow burn. The warm glow inside her had almost soporific effect upon him.

She braced herself with a hand on his shoulder and another on his chest and began to move above him. Spock stared up at her enraptured. He wanted to tell her how perfect she was but he could not form the words, could barely form the thoughts. Instead he lifted his hand and pressed his fingers against her psi-points. She shuddered as their thoughts twisted against each other and looked down at him with dark eyes. Red, mad, burning pleasure erupted between them and she made a wonderful strange human noise that somehow managed to express all those things at once. Feeling her want Spock gripped her hip and lifted his body to meet hers, increasing the speed and pressure of their coupling. It was awkward keeping his fingers to her face and he regretfully removed them.

She made a whining noise, clearly as displeased as he, and Spock vaguely considered moving, but he was loathe to interrupt the rhythm between them. She reached down and grabbed at his hand, twisting her fingers against his until their thoughts were as close as possible through the link of his fingers. It was not enough, but it was better than nothing. He felt her agreement and then suddenly her thoughts were clearer, deeper.

He did not realise what she had done for a moment, but then he realised that she'd reached for him through their bond, not his fingers.  _Tel'esta._  He groaned. Human ingenuity Her movements were frantic now, her need beating at him, burning him. Spock clutched at her hips and met her thrusts forcefully. She was making a low wailing noise that might have been his name and then her body was locking tightly around his in pulsing wet heat. Her orgasm echoed through their bond and he was drawn along with her, the burning consuming him as white hot pleasure ran through his veins.

She collapsed forwards, pressing her face to his chest and wrapping her arms around him. For a few minutes she lay still, sprawled atop him, her body flush and damp with exertion, the plak'tow momentary diminished, and then she was kissing him hungrily and whispering his name once more.

* * *

**T'Pau**

The girl's condition was much as the human physician had said. She was in  _plak'tow_ , the usual burning madness intensified by the long term effects of  _tel-has-mar_. The shock of the severing of her most recent bond to Spohkh combined with the powerful sedatives the humans had administered appeared to have tipped her fragile psyche into a near comatose state.

Had she been capable of such a feeling, T'Pau would have pitied the woman. She recalled T'Pring as a child when she had performed the  _Telan t'Kanlar_   _(ceremony of childhood bonding)_ upon her and Spohkh. She had been an intelligent and coolly logical child. The mind she felt now was unrecognisable.  _So-resh (mad)._

T'Pau melded with her and attempted to undo what damage she could. She had to draw upon decades of mastery in the mental disciplines to hold back the spread of the plak'tow through the girl's mind and keep T'Pring calm. It took her a period of 1.3 standard hours to stabilise the fever and send the woman into a meditative state that would not cause her further injury.

Her sa-fu awaited her when she broke the meld and returned to her senses.

Sarek raised an eyebrow in silent query.

'I am uncertain what can be done for her. The blood fever must be broken before I can begin to aid her in healing from the  _tel-has-mar_.' T'Pau informed him.

'None will wish such a mate.' Sarek remarked.

It was true. T'Pring was  _so-resh_. Save T'Prak she was all that remained of her House and it would be a waste not to continue her line given the decimation of their species, but no unattached male would chose to bond to a woman in her state. It would be illogical. There was little hope for her.

'It is unfortunate.' T'Pau agreed.

They returned to the planet and T'Pring was beamed down later after a room had been prepared for her in T'Pau's residence. She had no obligation to the woman, but she had once been bonded to Spohkh, and it was not illogical that she provide for her.

Her sa-fu came to her after speaking to T'Prak and her kinsman Staal. T'Pau listened to his explanations of T'Prak's illogical actions with interest. The pid-kom had lied and misrepresented the situation not only to her own kinsman, but to other V'tosh as well. The Captain of the ship had been under the impression that Spohkh was present of his own will, but that owing to it being his  _time_  was unable to inform Sarek of that fact. He had been waiting for Spohkh to return to his senses so he could do just that. It had not occurred to him that a venerated elder, a pid-kom of a high clan at that, would lie.

Staal had been similarly mis-informed. He had escorted Spohkh to T'Prak when he had boarded, but had been kept from further interaction with him. He had not suspected the truth of the situation until Spohkh's adun'a had beamed aboard with typical human recklessness. He had recognised her easily - she had been wearing the marked robes of a  _T'sai_ and there were only four women remaining of House Solkar - T'Pau herself, her sons' wives T'Ylle and Amanda, and Spohkh's wife Nyota. They were a disparate group of women – an elderly pid-kom, a T'sai in her prime, a pale human approaching her middle years and a dark human in her youth. Easily distinguishable. Staal had instantly identified Nyota as Spohkh's human wife. Only after her confrontation with his pid-kom had he begun to suspect that the situation was not as he had been told.

He had been shamed when Sarek had told him of the enormity of T'Prak's injury to Spohkh and had submitted to  _kash-nohv_  to verify the truth of his own involvement. Sarek informed her that many of his actions had been motivated by his concern for his kinswoman T'Pring. She had been bonded to his elder brother Stonn and she alone of his immediate family had survived  _Va'Pak._  He had thought renewal of her bond to Spohkh would heal her of her  _tel-has-mar_. Sarek speculated his emotional attachment to his cousin had clouded his logic.

There was no such excuse for T'Prak. She was to be stripped of rank and title and exiled from V'tosh society and their new home-world. Sarek was uncertain of what would be appropriate action against those she had misled.

'Send Staal to me.' T'Pau directed her sa-fu.

Sarek did as she bade. Within 20 standard minutes she received the shamed V'tosh in T'Pring's chamber.

He genuflected before her and greeted her with the utmost respect. T'Pau did not deign to reply. The man, for all that his pid-kom had misled him, had fired a phaser set to  _kill_  towards Nyota Uhura, the female her exceedingly emotional grandson considered his _k'hat'n'dlawa_ and who was pregnant with her first great-grandchild. Were she to make such a demand of any of her own kinsman, she knew they would have reason and logic enough to query such a violent request, going as it did against the very core of the Analects of Surak. Murder.

T'Pau was pleased that the human James Kirk had seen fit to infiltrate the ship in search for Spohkh, her sa-fu was a diplomat, a man of logic and calm. She had no doubt that his negotiations with the Captain of the ship would have eventually led to Spohkh's release, but it was preferable that the humans had sped the process along. She was displeased that Nyota Uhura had placed herself in danger however.

Thinking upon it was a test to her emotional control. Had she died, T'Pau was certain Spohkh would have soon followed. She recalled in eidetic Vulcan detail what he had felt when the elder Sosik had performed  _p'pil'lay_  upon he and Nyota in San Fracisco in the wake of  _Va'Pak._ Thinking on it made her decidedly uncomfortable. He had _wept._

T'Pau therefore found she had little patience or understanding for Staal. She gestured towards T'Pring. 'Your cousin is dying.' she informed him blandly.

Staal's eyes snapped to the still form of T'Pring where she lay in a deep meditative state upon a low bed. T'Pau watched him closely. She did, as Sarek had implied, detect a distinct emotional attachment. Here perhaps was suitable punishment for his crimes, and hope for T'Pring, who was undoubtedly the most innocent in the entire affair despite her central role.

'The  _plak'tow_  is killing her. I cannot break it. And she is too weak to try and bring it to its climax through combat.' she continued.

'There is nothing you can do for her?' he inquired. 'She had been better, the last few days, since Okosu T'Prak told her Spohkh would renew their bond.'

'The _plak'tow_  I cannot cure.' T'Pau replied. 'The  _tel-has-mar_ , her  _so-resh..._  if it as you say - if she had not completely succumbed - perhaps there is hope for recovery.' She paused and regarded his reactions carefully. 'But I can do nothing while the blood fever rages within her.'

Staal was silent for a several minutes.

T'Pau waited.

'T'Pring is my  _pi-maat (kin)_  and she was  _adun'a_  to my  _sa-kai(brother)_ Stonn _._ ' he turned to regard T'Pau seriously. 'I would bond with her if it would break the plak'tow.'

T'Pau nodded, keeping her face free of any reaction. Of course, his offer had been precisely why she had summoned him. 'Even if I can bond you and the _plak'tow_  is endured, she may always be  _so-resh_. Her attachment to your  _sa-kai_ went beyond logic.'

Staal nodded. 'They were exceedingly fond of one another.'

'It is he she calls for.' T'Pau agreed. 'She may never overcome her loss.' She left unsaid the obvious, that Staal would most likely end up with a wife who did not know him, who perhaps saw him only as his dead brother.

Staal did not seem deterred. 'She is  _pi-maat_. For that reason alone I would accept her despite her  _so-resh_. But were she not, I would do the same for her as my  _sa-kai's adun'a_.'

T'Pau inclined her head. 'It is logical for you to accept responsibility for her welfare.' she agreed. 'I will awaken her and perform the  _Van-Kal t'Telan (ceremony of bonding)._  The danger to her increases by the minute.'

'I am prepared.' Staal replied.


	15. Chapter 15

**Spock**

Spock awoke on the floor. Correction. Deck. He felt the familiar human standard gravity and cool recycled air of a Federation Starship. It would appear he was once more upon the  _Enterprise._ He and Nyota were lying atop the remains of her dress and robe. His thoughts were clear and his own once more. He found no relief in that fact however and sat up to regard his wife in a panic. He reached to her through their bond, even as he carefully looked over her body. He was relieved to find her in a much better state than she'd been in when last they'd been afflicted with  _plak'tow._  He reflected that it had been different in this instance. It seemed the fires of  _plak'tow_  had not burnt as hot. He was uncertain if that was due to the way it had been induced, Doctor McCoy's sedative, something his grandmother had done or the fact that Nyota was pregnant.

He had still marked her several times however. Her neck, her shoulder and her thighs bore bruises and marks inflicted with his mouth. And he'd left her slightly bruised where he'd gripped her - hips, thighs and arms, but that was all. She bore far fewer indicators of the disparity of Vulcan strength in comparison to human than she had after the incident at the Academy. Spock sighed in relief but still wished to be sure. She'd had cracked ribs and a sprained wrist last time.

He reached to her through their bond to awaken her to make certain she had not suffered similar injury.

He savoured the feeling of her thoughts floating up to consciousness and into focus as she awoke. She moaned. Stretched. Buried her face against his chest. Spock ran a hand down her back. Her body shivered beneath his touch and he felt her gentle pleasure in the caress. She felt general soreness but no sharp pain. Carefully Spock reached towards her more firmly to double check. No. She was bruised, her muscles slightly strained, but otherwise uninjured. He felt her comparing the stiffness of her body to overeagerness in the gymnasium. The relief he felt was immense.

'Spock.' she greeted him, looking up to point her dark eyes at him.

'Ashayam.' he returned.

She smiled radiantly. He kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back with her usual human abandon.

'We're a mess  _mpenzi_.' she informed him at length, pressing kisses along his cheek and stroking her fingers through his hair.

'An accurate assessment.' Spock replied.

'Are we on the floor?' she asked, bracing herself against him to look around in confusion.

'It would appear so.' Spock agreed. 'We seem to be in the medbay but I must admit my recollection of how we came to be here is incomplete.' He remembered very little. He recalled escaping the room on the Vulcan ship despite being half mad with plak'tow, sabotaging something on the engineering deck... the shields? Then feeling Nyota nearby and looking for her... fighting and phaser fire... then incredible relief at finding her... then oko'mekh-il had been there… and… 'Did I injure Doctor McCoy?' he inquired in concern. He recalled staring down at the man contemplating breaking his arm.

Nyota shook her head. 'You gave him a black eye after he sedated you, but you didn't injure him badly.' she reassured him.

Her words were reassuring, though he was not pleased to discover he had injured a fellow crew member. 'I did not injury anyone else?' he asked.

Nyota frowned. 'Not any Starfleet personnel.' she replied evasively.

Spock blinked as more disjointed memories returned to him, the sensation of satisfyingly solid Vulcan vertebrae shattering beneath his hands. Of the bony hollow of someone's trachea being crushed under his fingers. Guilt and disgust welled up inside him. 'How many Vulcans did I murder aboard the ship?' he asked quietly, looking past Nyota to the ceiling of the medbay.

She half sat up so she could look down at him, forcing him to meet her gaze with a hand to his cheek. Her frown had deepened. 'You did not 'murder' anyone. You killed two Vulcans who were attempting to kill us – Kirk, Sulu, McCoy, Hendorrf and myself.' she said. 'They were firing phasers set to kill. If anyone is to blame for their deaths, it is their pid'kom T'Prak.  _You_  are not responsible and you  _are not_  going to add their deaths to that ridiculous guilt you carry around with you.' she paused. 'You were in plak'tow. It is illogical to blame yourself for something you had no control over.'

He did not agree, but nodded regardless. He utilised a human conversational tactic and changed the subject to avoid further disagreement. 'Tell me what occurred whilst I was afflicted.'

Nyota narrowed her eyes and Spock was worried she would insist they speak further upon the deaths of the Vulcans, but after a moment she sighed and apparently gave in. 'We came and got you from T'Prak.' she explained. 'Scotty devised a method for beaming through their disruptor shields. Although apparently they took them down anyway.'

'I believe I may have been the cause of that.' he remarked.

Nyota raised an eyebrow. 'You sabotaged their shields?'

'My memories are incomplete, but I recall that intention.' he agreed.

She smiled and shook her head. 'Kirk was right, you probably would have escaped all on your own, blood fever or not.'

Perhaps she was correct. If he had been able to transport himself to the  _Enterprise_ or even down to New Vulcan, it was unlikely T'Prak could have recaptured him. However he hated to think how many would have witnessed him at the mercy of his primitive urges had he succeeded. He had an unpleasant vision of himself running through the corridors of the  _Enterprise_  snarling like a crazed animal searching for Nyota... 'How did we come to be in the medical bay?' he inquired in sudden concern.

'Direct beam out.' she replied. 'Don't worry, apart from Sulu and Hendorff, only the Captain, Christine Chapel and McCoy saw you.' She paused. 'And Sarek and T'Pau of course.'

Spock nodded in acceptance. He was embarrassed that his fellow crew had seen him in such a state, but relieved that only a small number had borne witness. He plucked at a fragment of dark blue silk that was tangled around his arm. He recognised the robe it had once been a part of. 'You defied the Captain's orders.' he said with slight censure.

Nyota pursed her lips slightly. 'How is it you remember that minor detail and nothing else?'

'I merely assumed that you would not have reported for duty out of uniform.' he remarked, indicating the piece of cloth in his hand and their makeshift bedding.

'Oh.' Nyota replied.

'What occurred whilst I was… gone?' Spock asked at length.

'A lot.' Nyota said. 'I woke up in medbay after T'Prak broke our bond.'

Spock inhaled sharply, recalling vividly how seriously she had been affected by their first  _p'pil'lay_.

'It wasn't as bad this time.' she quickly reassured him. 'McCoy thinks it's because I'm pregnant. The… baby… has a bond to you, so I could still almost sense you.' She stumbled slightly over the word 'baby' and averted her eyes form his. Spock felt her confusing emotions on her unexpected condition.

'That is a logical conclusion.' he agreed. He reached down and ran his fingers over her cheek so she would look at him. He vaguely recalled feelings of extreme satisfaction when he'd realised she was pregnant with his child when he was under the influence of  _plak'tow_ , and was certain he'd made those primitive feelings known to her, but he could tell she was worried about what his reaction would be now he was once more in his right mind. 'I am pleased, Nyota.' he informed her simply.

It was not a situation he would have chosen, they were hardly in the most logical position to rear a child, but the thought that they would have a child, that their genetic material had been melded into a single individual was… pleasing.

He felt relief and happiness bloom within his wife at his words. 'I'm pleased too Spock. I hadn't seriously considered children… I thought it would be really complicated, that we'd need doctors and geneticists and I wasn't in any hurry for all that… But now that it's happened… I mean - I'm worried and confused - but I'm glad.'

'I am most curious of  _how_  we have done this thing my wife. As you said, we should not be able to reproduce without significant aid from geneticists.' Spock remarked thoughtfully.

'Omicron Ceti III.' Nyota replied.

Ah. It was possible. 'The spores.' he agreed. 'That does seem the most likely explanation.' An idle thought occurred to him. 'Did Doctor McCoy then also impregnate Ensign U'Aidat?' he asked.

He felt Nyota's shock and then amusement. 'Oh my god. She really could be!' She pressed a hand to her mouth. 'And that stomach bug! It was morning sickness!' Her eyes widened. 'Half the crew could be pregnant!' She sat up and grinned at him in delighted shock, one of her hands clutching his shoulder 'Oh please Spock! ask McCoy about Gaila!'

'You do not wish to make such an inquiry yourself?' he asked. Gaila U'Aidat was her closest friend.

Nyota shook her head. Spock felt amusement and anticipation from her. 'You believe it will be more  _humorous_  if I make the enquiry of him.' he deduced letting her sense his disapproval.

She didn't try and deny it, just smirked.

'Please continue your recount of events during my absence.' he said again changing the subject.

Nyota settled back down against him. 'I found T'Pring's messages to you and figured out what had happened.' she replied. 'I spoke to your father and forewarned the Captain. He refused to let me come on the away party.'

'Perfectly logical given the situation. You were convalescing and pregnant. How _did_  you come to be aboard the Vulcan ship?' Spock asked.

She sighed. 'I'm not proud of myself.' she began. Spock raised an eyebrow. 'I nerve pinched Scotty and an Ensign then beamed myself aboard.'

Spock blinked, surprised at her admission. 'You're use of  _tal-shaya_  on fellow crew is indeed not something to be 'proud' of.' he agreed. 'However I am pleased that you seem to have retained the ability to perform a nerve pinch. It is reassuring to know you can effectively defend yourself if unarmed. What occurred aboard the ship?'

'I followed the Captain. I just put my hood up and pretended to be Vulcan. They'd found T'Pring. She was raving in plak'tow.' she trailed off. 'I can't believe T'Prak would be so  _cruel_ to her own granddaughter.' she shook her head. 'I watched a lot of the messages she sent you.  _Tel-has-mar_  drove her mad. It was… distressing.'

'She lost her son as well as her husband in  _Va'Pak._ There is little of the logical woman I recall from our acquaintance left in her.' Spock remarked. 'I regret that I ignored her. T'Pau or one of the other elders might have been able to aide her where T'Prak could not.'

'Or would not.' Nyota added scathingly.

They were silent for a period of 4.8 minutes. Spock could feel the vague shape of Nyota's thoughts but made no attempt to listen to them.

'Nyota.' he said at length.

'Yes?' she replied from where she lay curled against his side.

'I wish to marry you in the human manner.'

He felt her surprise. 'We don't have to do that, Vulcan marriage is legally binding and accepted by Federation Law.' she paused. 'And compared to our tel-tor, human marriage seems… redundant.' She raised her head to look at him 'You don't need to do this for me.'

'I am gratified that you are satisfied with our bond, but it would be reassuring to know that should it be severed, you would still be my wife.' Spock replied.

'Surely no one will try this again?' Nyota asked in disbelief.

'It would be highly unlikely.' he agreed.

'But still possible.' she finished.

'Indeed.'

'The Captain could marry us.' she suggested. 'Though would we really want  _Kirk_  officiating our wedding?' she added.

Before Spock could offer an opinion on the matter the intercom in the wall buzzed to life.  _'Uhura? Spock? Are you two alright in there?'_  It was Doctor McCoy's voice.

'Yes Doctor!' called Nyota.

' _Get yourselves decent would you? Chapel's going to bring you clean clothes.'_

A minute later there was a soft knock on the door. Nyota, wrapped in the remains of her robe, accepted a bundle of clothing from the smirking blonde nurse outside.

'This is  _so_  embarrassing.' she commented and she attempted to tidy herself up.

Spock was forced to admit that the knowledge that others - humans who had no real understanding of what had been occurring at that - had borne witness to him in his time was… exceedingly distressing. Humiliating.

Dressed in her uniform Nyota looked only marginally less debauched. There were clear bite marks along the side of her neck and her hair was a long tangle. Any Vulcan would be able to smell him all over her. Would know precisely what they had been doing earlier. She bit her lip. A lip swollen from several hours spent kissing him. Her fingers slid along her neck. He could tell she was pleased to openly wear the marks of his possession, for everyone to know the truth of their association, but was embarrassed that she felt that way.

He found himself likewise conflicted. The most primitive part of him was pleased at such obvious indicators that she was his, but the rest of him disliked others knowing such a private thing. That he had pressed his mouth to the line of her neck. They would probably also, correctly, assume that they had been engaging in intercourse as he did so. No one should be thinking of Nyota in such a manner. He did not wish anyone to be privy to what passed between them.

It occurred to him that if the Captain  _were_  to marry them, all would know she was his without the need for such vulgar displays. He could give her a ring in the human tradtion. A wedding ring would signify as much as a mark without revealing things he'd prefer stay hidden. Yes he decided. That would be satisfactory.

They left the room to find the Captain waiting with his parents, his grandmother and to his mild surprise, his mother-in-law.

' _Thrice bonded.'_ his mother remarked with amusement rarely heard in Vuhlkansu.  _'Must you be so difficult my son?'_

' _He is as stubborn as his father.'_  T'Pau remarked.

Sarek's eyes slid to the side to glance at his mother but he offered no comment.

Spock bowed to his grandmother.  _'Oko'mekh-il thank you for your aid.'_

Beside him Nyota likewise offered her gratitude. T'Pau made a small gesture, tilting her head slightly, and Spock could tell she was pleased.

In comparison Tamu Uhura was far more demonstrative. She pulled Nyota into a hug and chattered to her in rapid Swahili, not leaving Nyota time to reply to any of her questions.  _'Oh you silly foolish girl! How do you keep getting into such situations? Are you alright? What happened? I arrive on planet to open the new Embassy and Sarek comms me within minutes to tell me you and Spock have managed to get into yet another mess. Look at you!'_  she paused and fluffed Nyota's hair.  _'And speaking of messes, look at this! What have you been doing? Brushing your hair with twigs?'_  She tilted Nyota's head and pouted with disapproval at the bitemarks on her neck.  _'_ _ **Really**_ _Nyota_ _ **.**_ _How old are you? You look like a tacky 15 year old with those things on your neck.'_

Nyota sighed. Spock could feel her embarrassment at her mother's display.

' _Don't you sigh at me young lady! When were you going to tell me that I'm going to be a grandmother? I shouldn't have to learn these things second-hand! And from a_ _ **Vulcan**_ _at that! They've got absolutely no tact! No 'Hello, how are you Tamu?' Oh no! T'Pau's first words to me were 'My grandson has impregnated your daughter.' Who talks like that?! And she sounded so proud, you'd think Spock was the first man to achieve such a thing. '_

Nyota waited for a moment to see if her mother had finished before replying in equally hurried Swahili.  _'I am fine. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I've only known about the baby for a day or two, I hadn't had a chance to tell you since some crazy woman kidnapped my husband.'_

The Captain was looking at Nyota and her mother in amusement. 'Is the Ambassador telling Lieutenant Uhura off for not brushing her hair?' he inquired in a loud whisper.

'That is… one of the things the Ambassador has mentioned.' Spock admitted.

Unfortunately his words attracted Tamu's attention. She turned to face him and Spock felt a sudden sense of foreboding.

' _S'chn T'gai Spock!'_  she proclaimed, pointing at him with right index finger. Her accent was not nearly on par with his mother's or Nyota's, but it was fairly accurate. 'Your own family might be too well mannered to say it but I will. Nyota's told me all about you and little friend there,' she waved her hand dismissively towards the Captain, '… behaving like a couple of school boys -'

' _Mother!'_  Nyota interrupted, sounding mortified.

Tamu made a shushing noise. '- taking  _ridiculous_  risks. How many times have you nearly died in the last six months Spock?  _James_?' Kirk blushed at being spoken to in such a manner but for his own part Spock found he did not feel much of anything. He noted with detachment that he appeared to be in a mild state of shock. 'I'm sure if your poor mothers knew the things I did they'd both have had heart attacks by now!'

Nyota had her hand pressed to her mouth and was staring at him in wide-eyed dismay. He felt her embarrassment and apology through their bond.

'Well you aren't children!' Tamu continued. She pointed at Kirk. ' _You're_ a Starfleet Captain,' she pointed at Spock, '… and  _you_  are about to become a father. So you'd best start behaving with a bit more maturity!'

Abruptly she swapped back to Swahili.  _'If I end up with a widowed daughter Spock, I'll keep your vre-katra on hand and berate you daily.'_  Spock wasn't entirely sure if she was being serious or not. He thought perhaps she was.

Nyota had spoken about him taking unnecessary risks, she'd thought it a reaction to  _Va'Pak_. He'd been dismissive of her concerns and clearly she'd felt the need to confide in her mother. In a way Tamu Uhura's uncomfortable emotional outburst was therefore his fault. He should have taken Nyota's concerns more seriously.

' _Tamu, I am sorry to have caused you such concern. I shall discuss the matter with Nyota.'_ he replied in Swahili.

She sniffed and nodded. 'Good.'

The room was silent for 4.8 seconds.

'What things?' his mother asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowed.

Tamu huffed and crossed her arms. 'Where to begin!'


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As per usual, here begins the heapings of FLUFF.

 

**Nyota**

After her mother's  _humiliating_  rant in the med bay at Spock and Captain Kirk, (which McCoy and Christine had both apparently found hilarious), McCoy had given her and Spock a once over and Lady T'Pau had melded briefly with them to ensure there was no further issues with their bond.

Spock had expressed a need to talk to the Captain and Nyota had retired to his quarters with her mother in tow. Tamu seemed to have completely forgotten her earlier upset and was quite cheerful. Apart from several disparaging remarks about the size of their quarters and the need for more room when the baby was born, which Nyota supposed was true, she was pleasant company.

After showering and changing again Nyota sat and let her mother untangle her hair with the help of generous amounts of hair conditioner and replicated coconut oil. As her mother combed and smoothed, Nyota idly sorted through her jewellery box, pulling out rings and trying them on experimentally.

'What are you looking for Nyota?' her mother inquired.

'Spock wants to get married in the human way so that this sort of thing can't happen again.' she remarked. 'I was looking to see if I had any rings that would fit him.'

Her mother froze, brush in hand. 'When!?'

Nyota glanced up and met her mother's eyes in the mirror. 'When what?'

'When are you marrying him!?'

Nyota blinked. 'Well, the Captain can marry us whenever really.'

'Nyota. I have been very understanding in that because you are married to a Vulcan in the Vulcan way there was no proper wedding. But if you are going to marry Spock in the human manner, I  _will_  be present.' She resumed brushing. 'And you  _will_  wear a gown and not your uniform.' Nyota frowned. She had indeed intended to wear her uniform.

'Mama, of course I'd love you to be there. And Zanta and the rest of the family, but that's not really an option.' she explained.

'What do you mean not an option? You're here, Spock's here, the Captain is here and I am here. You can get married before you leave New Vulcan.' Tamu replied serenely.

'I… I'm not sure if Spock meant  _right_  now when he asked me.' Nyota said.

'Why not? It's perfectly logical and I assure you Lady Amanda will be of similar opinion to me in this.'

'Well, yes. That does sound… logical?' she admitted.

The door chimed.

'Enter!' her mother called.

Nyota raised her eyebrow and shot her a look in the mirror at her presumption. These weren't Tamu's quarters. If anyone was going to be issuing invitations, it was her.

The door slid back and Lady Amanda appeared accompanied by two attendants that Nyota though were perhaps T'Pau's. They were carrying bulky packages.

'Oh good!' Spock's mother proclaimed. 'You've already started!'

Nyota frowned. 'Started?'

'Getting ready of course.' she replied as she guided the two attendants to place their packages on the couch and table. She glanced around. 'I suppose this is large for quarters on a ship, but still. A little snug.'

'I agree.' Tamu responded. 'They'll need more room.'

'What am I getting ready for?' Nyota asked. 'And what's in the boxes?'

'Your  _wedding dress_  of course!' Amanda replied gleefully.

Tamu gasped in delight, Nyota's half brushed hair forgotten. 'Oh! Wonderful! What does it look like?' she inquired eagerly.

'It's Vulcan, but it's  _quite_  lovely.' Amanda said. She gestured with a hand and one of the attendants unwrapped a long box and started pulling out gauzy golden garments.

'Oh! Nyota looks  _lovely_ in gold.' her mother said.

'I remember. Those holos you sent me of her and Spock in Nairobi.'

'Excuse me.' Nyota asked. 'Can someone tell me what's going on here?'

Her mother, mother-in-law, and the two blank faced Vulcan women turned to stare at her.

'You and Spock are getting married. Again.  _Properly_  this time.' Amanda said.

Nyota sighed. 'That's what I thought. Nice of you to let me know.' she grumbled.

'Don't mumble Nyota.' Tamu scolded her.

'But this is way too sudden! I don't even have a ring for Spock!' she complained.

Her mother waved a hand. 'I'm sure I have something suitable.' She passed the brush to Amanda. 'Her hair is a  _terrifying_ Amanda. Do the best you can. I'll be back momentarily.' Without further comment she flounced out of the room.

Amanda smiled widely and approached Nyota. Spock's mother was much gentler with the brush then her own. Behind her the Vulcan women unpacked and arranged the items they'd bought. Nyota watched them in the mirror. She noted that the 'wedding dress' seemed to be comprised of more layers and material than one woman could ever hope to drape over her body at one time. When they stacked several small boxes on the table she tilted her head in query. Amanda noted her curiosity and addressed the woman with the boxes.

' _Open those so my daughter might see.'_  she instructed the woman in flawless Vulcan.

The largest contained a headdress and the others were full of elaborate Vulcan jewellery. Nyota gasped a little. It was too much. She said as much.

' _You are the bondmate of Osasu S'chn T'gai Spohkh. It is satisfactory.'_  the attendant handling the boxes replied.

Amanda smiled. 'You will look very beautiful.'

Nyota wasn't sure how to respond to that. To any of this. So she just sat and let Amanda and the two attendants dress and primp her.

The door chimed perhaps fifteen minutes later.

Nyota was in her underwear with one Vulcan woman braiding her hair, one buffing her nails and Amanda replicating tea for them all.

She triggered the intercom. 'Who is it?'

' _It's me! Your Maiden of Honour!'_ Gaila replied in excited Yrevish.

She called out 'Enter' and the door opened for her friend.

' _It's 'Maid' of honour, not Maiden. Luckily for you, since you would be well and truly disqualified.'_  she informed Gaila as she came inside.

The Orion waved a green hand dismissively. 'Whatever.' She looked around excitedly. 'Oh! You must be Spock's mother!' she said to Amanda. Before the poor woman had a chance to respond she was on the receiving end of an enthusiastic Orion hug and air kiss combo. 'I'm Gaila U'Aidat! Nyota's best friend!' Gaila was grinning and practically vibrating with excess energy.

'Gaila  _McCoy_.' Nyota teased earning a glare from her 'best friend'.

'It's lovely to meet you Gaila. I'm Amanda, and yes, Spock is my son.' Amanda replied very kindly. Nyota imagined thirty something years married to a Vulcan diplomat had left her with what were probably the best manners in the quadrant.

'Huh. You know, all this time I kinda doubted the Commander's claims that his mother was human. He's just so…  _Vulcan.'_  Gaila remarked.

Once again displaying her perfect manners, Amanda smiled serenely. 'He _is_  quite like his father.' she agreed.

Gaila turned her attention to Nyota. 'Oh wow. That is some serious underwear Ny.'

Nyota glared at her in the mirror and plucked at the tightly laced garment she was having some difficulty breathing in.

'It's  _traditional.'_  she replied warily.

The last thing she needed was Gaila making reference to the last time she'd worn similar garments in front of Spock's  _mother_.

Somehow Gaila managed to refrain from further comment, settling instead on wiggling her eyebrows in a move that was quite subtle for her. Nyota sipped her tea carefully.

'Tea? Aren't you meant to drink that bubbly human wine before a wedding? Sham-pain?' Gaila inquired.

'Oh yes, I suppose.' Amanda agreed.

Nyota was tempted. She wouldn't mind a drink or ten.

'However probably not a good idea in the circumstances.' Spock's mother concluded.

'Circumstances?' Gaila asked.

Nyota belatedly realised that owing to Gaila covering her shifts over the last few days, she wasn't exactly up to speed on everything. Amanda shot her a look.

'I'm pregnant.' she blurted.

Gaila inhaled sharply.  _'By the Thousand Gods!'_  she exclaimed in Yrevish. ' _How?!'_

Nyota raised an eyebrow. 'The usual way Gaila.' she remarked.

'But… That shouldn't work.' she glanced at Amanda. 'Should it?'

Wisely, Amanda left that alone.

'Gaila.' Nyota started. 'You should probably sit down.'

Her friend frowned and perched on the arm of the couch, the actual seats being covered in piles of clothing. 'Okay. I'm sitting down.' she said in confusion.

Nyota met her eyes in the mirror. 'You know the spores on Omicron Ceti III? How they made the colonists perfectly healthy, grew back missing organs even?'

'Yes of course.' Gaila replied.

Nyota shot her a loaded look. Gaila blinked, frowned and then gasped, covering her mouth. 'The  _spores?_ '

Nyota nodded.

'But! That means!' Gaila started, her face visibly paling to a more 'mint' green shade than usual. She leapt to her feet and ordered something from the replicator before vanishing into the bathroom.

Amanda looked after her. 'What was all that about?'

'Gaila and Doctor McCoy got married on Omicron Ceti III.'

' _Oh.'_  She replied in realisation. 'So she might…?'

Nyota shrugged. 'If I am I don't see why she wouldn't be.' She stared towards the bathroom in concern. Hopefully Gaila would be okay. She wanted to get up and go sit with her. Maybe she should have lied, kept it to herself until later?

No. She'd have wanted to know. And maybe Gaila wasn't pregnant. Spock was a hybrid, they shared a lot more DNA than Gaila and McCoy did. Maybe the Spores wouldn't have affected her? She stood and Amanda helped her wrap a petticoat or slip like garment on over her underwear. She's been correct in her earlier assessment - there were many layers to the 'dress' Amanda had bought. Too many.

The door opened to her mother. Nyota frowned. How had she overridden the security?

Tamu was carrying a small jewellery box

'Nyota, you look lovely already.' her mother commented. Nyota doubted it. She felt decidedly dishevelled. The fact that she was in the midst of having her hair quite aggressively tamed by one of the Vulcan woman, who was  _strong_  didn't help matters. Her mother passed her the box. 'I'm sure one of these will do.' she said.

Nyota recognised the box. It had been her father's. He'd been quite fond of rings. He'd bought them as souvenirs from different planets over his career. She opened it and smiled sadly as she recognised a few of the bigger gaudier pieces. She picked up one and held it up for her mother's inspection. Tamu laughed as she recognised the hideous Risian ring with a rather obscenely carved 'fertility' stone set on it.

'Perhaps not that one.' her mother remarked.

Nyota dug through the assorted rings, sliding the nicer ones onto her thumb for more detailed perusal. She knew that Vulcan men often wore rings - Sarek usually had a few huge stones on his fingers - but she couldn't imagine Spock wearing a big fancy ring on a daily basis. Something plainer would be better. There was a nice ring with a green Orion fire gem and another silvery one with an Andorian sapphire, but she thought a ring from earth might be better. There was a gold etched band of a similar style to a necklace she owned. It was very terran. She slid it on her thumb and ran her fingers over it. It didn't have any pointy bits to catch on anything. She thought Spock would not find wearing such a thing illogical.

She glanced up at her mother. 'Yes that's a good one.' she said, her voice slightly strained. 'Your papa had that long before I met him. I'm not sure, but I think his mother might have given it to him.' She sniffed. 'I'm sure he'd be very happy for Spock to have it.'

Amanda leaned forward to look at it. 'Oh that's lovely!' she said in approval. 'And plain enough for Spock. He doesn't have Sarek's...  _flair_.' There was the hint of a smile around her lips. 'He's quite human that one respect.'

Nyota went to say something but instead let out a pained squeak as the woman wrapping her hair around the base of her headdress ripped out what felt like an entire handful of hair. The attendant paused and met Nyota's eyes in the mirror in something almost like apology.

Gaila reappeared.

'Gaila!' Tamu greeted her and swooped in to give her a hug. At Gaila's lacklustre response she asked 'What's wrong?'

The Orion sniffed. Nyota waved away the attendants and stood up to approach her friend. One look at Gaila's face was all the answer she needed.

'Oh Gai, it'll be alright.' she offered sincerely, gently squeezing her arm and patting her shoulder. Gaila was hiccuping in a way that Nyota knew indicated incoming tears. The two Vulcan woman were staring at her like the fascinating alien she was to them, Amanda in awkward concern and her mother in confusion.

Nyota tugged her into a hug, and rubbed her back in circles.  _'It's okay Gaila.'_  she reassured her friend in her native tongue. ' _What's the absolute worse that could happen? You and McCoy get your divorce and argue over who gets which holidays? That's not so bad! He's a good guy Gaila, he's going to be just as worried as you are.'_

The door opened again.

Her husband stood frozen in the doorway with Kirk at his side. Their matching expressions would have been funny at any other time.

Nyota sighed. Kirk and his uncanny ability to catch her in her underwear. At least she was only  _half_  undressed for a change.

'Err... Maybe we should have knocked Spock.' her Captain observed.

'Perhaps.' Amanda agreed walking to block their view of the half-dressed Nyota and the Orion currently sobbing into her 'serious' underwear. 'You shouldn't be here. It's  _bad luck_  you know.' Amanda continued, directing her words at Spock.

'An illogical superstition.' he replied automatically.

Amanda just smiled. 'What did you need sa-fu?'

'You are aware that these are, in fact, my quarters?' Spock said.

'Of course.' Amanda replied serenely.

'Then it should come as no surprise to you that my clothing is stored within.'

'Of course Spock. Your dress uniform?' she asked.

'Yes.'

Amanda nodded. 'I will fetch it for you.' She closed the door in Kirk and Spock's faces.

Gaila, who'd looked up, managed to snort despite her tears. 'I've leaked all over your fancy underwear Ny.' she observed with only a slight waver in her voice.

Nyota shrugged.

Gaila sniffed, wiped at her damp shoulder with her hand. 'Wow.' she said quite soberly. 'This is  _awesome.'_  she ran a hand along a line of lacing. 'I am totally getting me one of these before we leave this dustbowl. This is  _hot._ '

Nyota sighed. 'Feeling better I take it Gaila?' she asked.

'You're right. Things can't be that bad. I mean, I live in a universe were  _Vulcans_  are apparently packing heat like this under those robes of theirs.' She plucked experimentally at a fastening above Nyota's hip. 'Everything will be okay.'

Pleased Gaila had cheered up, Nyota only grumbled slightly as she resumed her seat before the mirror. 'I told you, it's  _traditional._ '

Gaila wiggled her eyebrows.  _'Sure it is and I bet later on Commander Hot Pants will remove it traditionally - with his teeth.'_  she replied in Yrevish making biting motions for emphasis.

Nyota just shook her head.

Amanda returned with Spock's dress uniform. Nyota felt his confusion as the door opened and instead of the tableau of Nyota embracing a weeping Orion that he'd been expecting he found them instead smiling. She gave him a little wave as Amanda shut the door in his face yet again.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise, we are now officially DROWNING IN THE FLUFF.
> 
> Kirk's little intro about ships is taken from a TOS episode where he marries two crew members.

 

**Kirk**

Jim stood up at the front of the forward observation deck. It wasn't the largest space on the ship, that would be the Hanger deck, but it was definitely the nicest room for any sort of gathering to be held. Behind him the long transparent aluminium windows showed a breath-taking view of the orange curve of New Vulcan on a background of stars. A pretty good backdrop for a wedding in Jim's opinion. He bounced on his feet and looked out over the assembled crowd in front of him. The room was  _packed._  Everyone not on duty had wanted to attend. In the end Jim had arranged for the ceremony to be shown on viewscreens in the rec rooms for the curious.

The bridge crew and Uhura's closest friends from the rest of the crew were all present of course, as was her mother. Jim subtly gave the older woman a once over. She was standing at the back of the room, ready to walk her daughter down the makeshift aisle. Tamu Uhura was still a very good looking woman. Tall and slender like her daughter. The Ambassador had a waspish regalness to her that Uhura didn't however. She looked like a woman used to getting her own way. Which was unsurprising, he'd certainly let her have her way in any…. He frowned, getting a hold of himself. He was notgoing to hit on Uhura's  _mom._  He wasn't  _that_  stupid.

Jim let his eyes slide to the crowd nearest to him. Spock was motionless and far too relaxed looking for a man at his own wedding, staring out at New Vulcan sedately. Bones standing beside him looked more nervous. Perhaps that was because he was acting as Spock's best man. Jim didn't think Spock realised the significance of the role. Bones was probably feeling guilty about all the 'hobgoblin' and 'pointy-eared, green-blooded' comments he'd made over the course of their time serving together. He also had a fading black eye courtesy of the groom. Bones had obviously given it a good going over with the protoplaster, but it was still faintly visible.

Jim looked past him to the crowd behind. There were quite a few very elaborately dressed Vulcans present. They were grouped around Administrator Sarek and Lady Amanda. Hmm, Lady Amanda. Jim had to admit, Spock's mom was also a bit of a babe. A tiny wide-eyed doll of a woman. And that Vulcan dress she was wearing wasn't helping. There was  _obviously_  a corset under there. Jim consciously made a decision not to imagine what Spock's mom's underwear looked like and turned towards the other side of the crowd. Perving on his crew's moms was low. Even for him.

Ooooh.

There was Yeoman Rand.

All thoughts of Lady Amanda vanished.

Damn. Now  _there_  was a woman he'd stare at all day with no shame at all. She noticed him staring and gave him a shy smile, looking up from under her eyelashes. He gave her a grin, trying to hold back on the lecherousness. She blushed a little. Too cute.

Jim had tried to rein in his natural… 'vivaciousness'… when it came to personal relationships since he was now a Captain and stuck with his crew for 5 years, but Yeoman Rand,  _Janice,_  was a challenge. As much as he tried, every time he spoke to her he ended up flirting shamelessly. She was just so gorgeous and her shyness made her all the more attractive. It was like she didn't realise she was arguable the prettiest woman on the ship. It was a toss-up between her and Uhura.

Spock caught his eye. Lifted an eyebrow. 'Stop hitting on people at my wedding Jim' that eyebrow seemed to say. Jim smoothed his face innocently. He could tell his First Officer was not fooled however. Spock wasn't half as clueless as people thought he was. He was utterly  _hopeless_  when it came to humour, but he picked up on other things almost as well as a human. Maybe because his mom was a human. His sexy sexy mom.

Jim frowned. He really needed to get laid.

Spock made a tiny movement with his head. Jim looked past him down the aisle. As if on cue Uhura appeared in the doorway with Gaila at her side.

Oh.

Oh  _wow._

Uhura was wearing some beautiful golden silky Vulcan dress thing with her hair all tied up and wrapped around a… thing. A headdress? She also seemed to be wearing her body weight in gold and jewels. She looked like a cross between an Egyptian princess and a Geisha. Or more accurately, Jim supposed, a Vulcan. The only human looking thing about her was the bouquet of flowers she was holding. Sulu had collected them the biology labs for her. Flowers like that hadn't even existed on Vulcan. The orchids and roses clashed a bit with the rest of her get up.

But whatever.

It was a good look for her.

Gaila was wearing a similar but far less elaborate outfit and smiling like a crazy person. It was weird seeing her so modesty dressed.

In comparison to the two exotic and beautiful women across the room, Spock looked like a Vulcan in a Starfleet Commander's Dress Uniform with a terrible haircut. Beside him Bones had turned to gawk over his shoulder at Gaila with a stunned look on his face. The crowd fell silent, turning to watch the Ambassador walk Uhura down the aisle, Gaila practically skipping along behind them looking as if she might burst into song at any moment. Tamu was smiling and Uhura looked like she was trying not to.

Uhura passed her bouquet to Gaila who stopped beside Bones and wrapped a hand around his arm. Bones glanced down in surprise but seemed pleased. Uhura's mom pressed a kiss to her cheek and passed her daughter's hand to Spock before stepping to the side to stand beside Lady Amanda.

Terrible haircut or not, Uhura seemed to think Spock looked pretty good. There was no accounting for taste. As she straightened beside him she gave him the very thorough once over that Jim had seen her give him  _many_ times across the bridge. He smirked slightly as he waited a moment for her to settle herself.

It was suddenly deathly silent. Jim cleared his throat, trying to get over his nerves.  _He_ wasn't the one getting married after all.

'Since the days of the first seafaring vessels, all shipmasters have had one happy privilege.' he began, using the clear voice he'd perfected for addressing the crew. 'That of uniting two people in the bonds of matrimony. We are gathered here today with you, Nyota Chausiku Uhura of Earth, and you, Spock son of Sarek of Vulcan,' Jim didn't even attempt to say his full name, he had trouble enough with Uhura's and she was human, '…in the sight of your fellows, in accordance with our laws and our many beliefs so that you may pledge your lives together in marriage.'

Jim continued with the traditional Terran ceremony as outlined in Starfleet Code 198.1a. He hadn't had time to memorise it perfectly, but he got it pretty close.

Yeoman Rand and Nurse Chapel got teary. So did Chekov and Scotty, but they both tried to hide their reactions. Sulu seemed to find the situation amusing. Maybe he was thinking about Spock purring. Hendorff looked mildly nauseous. Gaila of course, clutched Bones' arm and blubbered with typical Orion restraint. Ambassador Uhura had bought a brightly coloured handkerchief just to dab her eyes with it seemed. Spock mother just smiled. The Vulcans of course just observed blandly.

Uhura and Spock didn't use personalised vows or quote over the top poetry at each other, they just recited the standard vows.

'I, S'chn T'gai Spock, take you Nyota Chausiku Uhura, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward until death do us part.' Spock's delivery left a lot to be desired in Jim's opinion. He could well have been reciting the periodic table for all the feeling he injected into the ancient Terran vows of love and devotion.

Nyota smiled brightly as she recited the vows in turn however. Jim was impressed at how she managed to pronounce Spock's bizarre name. After the vows they exchanged rings.

Accepting a ring from Bones, Spock addressed Uhura. 'With this ring I thee wed, and with all that I am and all that I have, I honour you and pledge you my love, now and forever.' His voice was utterly calm and unaffected, but hearing him speak of love was still a little surreal, despite all Jim had observed between Spock and Uhura.

The ring Spock put on Uhura's finger was clearly Vulcan. A thick gold band with a stone Jim didn't recognise but that glittered prettily.

Gaila passed Uhura her ring and she made the same vow as Spock. The ring she slid onto Spock's finger was clearly Terran, a gold band made of lots of interlacing strands. Spock looked down at it very intently and Jim felt for the first time that  _maybe_  he was a tiny bit affected after all.

Jim smiled widely before launching into the pronouncement. This was going way better than he'd thought. He hadn't messed up once so far. 'They have vowed, in our presence, to be loyal and loving towards each other. They have formalised the bond between them with spoken vows and with the giving and receiving of rings, and so with great joy, I now pronounce them husband and wife.'

Jim took a breath, he was almost done and he hadn't flubbed his lines yet. He was pretty pleased with himself. It was his first wedding after all, Scotty had nabbed the first one of the mission. Sneaky bastard. The assembled crowd, and Spock and Uhura waited silently.

'Those whom love has joined together, let no one put asunder. Spock, you may now  _kiss_ the bride.' he finished with a smile and a  _slightly_  teasing tone. Spock glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, unimpressed.

Instead of the begrudging peck on the cheek he'd been expecting, Uhura smiled and held up her right hand to Spock, her index and middle finger upright and the rest curled against her palm. Spock returned the gesture and they did their weird finger thing, a Vulcan 'kiss' - which was actually kind of romantic Jim was forced to admit - but then Spock pulled Uhura towards him with his free hand and gave her short, but extremely  _human_  kiss. It ended with Uhura looking rather dazed and more or less hanging off Spock with a hand twisted in his no longer prefect Vulcan hair. Jim snorted then tried to make it a cough.

The assembled crew and non-Vulcan guests cheered and whooped with amusement. Spock's mother smiled very widely and held a hand to her mouth, perhaps to cover laughter. Besides her Administrator Sarek had an eyebrow in the air at his son's behaviour, but he looked  _slightly_ more amused than he did displeased. Maybe. It was hard to tell.

Lady T'Pau pursed her lips and exhibited enough disapproval with that one tiny gesture that crossing her arms and shaking her head like a human grandmother was rendered unnecessary. The other assembled Vulcans looked 'fascinated'.

Gaila was apparently overwhelmed by the sentiment of the occasion and gave Bones a kiss which he seemed pretty happy to be on the receiving end of. Jim tried not laugh as the Best Man and the Maid of Honour started making out. The Vulcans in attendance were more openly scandalised now. Ambassador Uhura and Lady Amanda had linked arms and were both trying to smother laughter.

Spock and Uhura meanwhile were completely oblivious to the Orion scandal taking place two meters behind them. Uhura was grinning and blushing, looking up at Spock. Spock didn't smile, but he came close. The corner of his mouth nearest Jim, the one facing away from the crowd, twitched quite a bit. He then pressed his forehead to hers for a few moments and their eyes closed and Jim was  _certain_  they were exchanging really _illogical,_   _emotional_ sentiments in the privacy of their heads. He sighed.

***

* * *

***

THE FLUFF


	18. Chapter 18

 

**Spock**

Spock sipped a glass of champagne for the sake of appearances. His mother had informed him that the beverage was traditional at weddings. It was an unpleasant tasting tradition in his opinion. There were other traditions that he'd found far more unappealing however. Nyota had adamantly refused to participate in something Kirk and several other men had seemed very interested in called a 'garter toss'. When she had explained the particulars of the event he had been exceedingly relieved at her disinterest in adhering to it.

The other Vulcan guests, including his grandmother, had departed after the ceremony. Many had been interesting in attending a 'human bonding' as they'd not seen such a thing before, however a reception where the sole activities where dancing and drinking did not hold similar appeal. His father alone remained. He was currently standing beside Spock also holding a glass of the unpleasant Terran beverage. They were observing the dancing with, in at least Spock's case, slight amusement.

Several of the participants were quite intoxicated and their movements were becoming, unwisely, more exuberant. Ensign Chekov and his partner, a technician Spock was unacquainted with, had fallen over once and were colliding into other couples approximately twice every minute. In comparison, Ensign Hendorff was proving to be surprising... graceful Spock supposed was the correct term, despite his size. He was guiding Nurse Chapel around the dance floor in smooth movements that seemed to please the woman a great deal.

Tamu Uhura and James Kirk spun past, Nyota's mother laughing loudly. Spock observed them with confusion. Only hours earlier Tamu had been quite dismissive of the Captain, and yet they now appeared to be on perfectly amicable terms.  _Humans._

Gaila and Leonard McCoy also appeared to have overcome whatever confusion there had been between them. They were both smiling a lot and Gaila had, most unusually, ignored all other males seeking her attention. The doctor scowled as Ensign Chekov danced his partner into him, but he and Gaila avoided falling over. Noting his father observing the two Spock commented with regards to them.

' _Nyota informs me that Doctor and Ensign McCoy are also expecting a child as a result of the spores on Omicron Ceti III.'_

' _An Orion/Human hybrid?'_  Sarek remarked with interest. _'Such a child will undoubtedly be a fascinating individual.'_

Nyota and his mother approached with small plates of overly sweetened wedding cake as his father finished.

' _I have a feeling 'fascinating' will prove to be an understatement.'_  Nyota observed dryly.  _'Green, charming, incredibly sulky and prone to tantrums seems more likely.'_

' _The doctor made remarkably similar comments with regards to our child Nyota, save he mad mention of 'pointy-ears' instead of green skin tone.'_ Spock responded.

Nyota smirked. 'I doubt any child of ours would be 'charming' Spock.'

'I'll have you know Nyota, that the men of House Solkar  _are_ considered especially 'charming'.' his mother protested.

His wife smiled widely. ' _Really?'_  she asked in apparent disbelief. 'Spock and Sarek are considered smooth?'

His mother made an odd expression involving a shoulder shrug and movement of her left eyebrow. Spock got a vague understanding of its meaning from Nyota via their bond, but it was still quite mystifying. 'Though they don't like to admit it, the  _real_ reason I was the first human to marry a Vulcan is because most Vulcans couldn't get a human to talk to them for longer than five minutes, let  _alone_  long enough for the human to form an 'illogical emotion attachment' to said Vulcan.'

'Whereas Sarek?' Nyota prompted.

'A most _eloquent_  conversationalist _.'_  his mother supplied smiling at his father. ' _Charming.'_

Spock was certain they were teasing himself and his father. He sipped the terrible champagne and feigned ignorance.

'Spock  _did_  once recite poetry to me.' Nyota remarked too innocently.

His father glanced at him out of the side of his eyes.

Spock pursed his lips slightly. She had made use of the same anecdote to tease him on previous occasions. 'You are misrepresenting the situation Nyota.' he said slightly defensively. 'You imply I recited poetry for the purpose of 'charming' you, which I did not.'

'Your intent is irrelevant to the outcome.' she countered. 'In fact, your obliviousness just makes it all the more  _charming._ ' She tapped his chin with her index finger for apparent emphasis before turning back to his mother.

Spock allowed himself a very small sigh as his mother and wife launched into a debate about romantic poetry. They both agreed Kolari poetry was terrible and Klingon surprisingly good. It was not a subject he found particularly interesting.

'Have you danced with your wife yet Spock?' his mother asked drawing him back into the conversation.

Spock sent her a sharp look. Why would she ask such a question?

'You can dance?' Nyota inquired in apparent shock. Ah. He suddenly understood his mother's intent.

'I have no desire to dance.' Spock replied.

'But you  _can?'_  Nyota asked.

'Of  _course_  he can dance. He's a diplomat's son.' His mother thoughtlessly supplied.

'Nyota, I do not wish to dance.' he clarified for her.

'Well I do!' his mother proclaimed happily. Spock stared at her in disbelief. He knew his father would, occasionally and very begrudgingly, dance in situations were not too would result in a serious diplomatic incident, but his wedding did not constitute such an occasion.

He therefore watched in shock as his father serenely led his mother to the dance floor and into a waltz as if such a thing was an everyday occurrence.

'Wow.' Nyota remarked staring at them. 'So. Your  _father_  can waltz.' She sounded just as shocked as he. 'Sarek of Vulcan is  _waltzing.'_  As they watched his father spun his mother around with practised ease and Amanda laughed.

'This is… most unusual.' he observed somewhat pointlessly.

Nyota smiled brightly at him. 'You do realise that you  _have_  to dance with me now?' she gestured towards the dancefloor. 'If  _Sarek_  is dancing, then you have no excuse.'

This was undoubtedly his mother's ulterior motive. He wondered that his father would allow himself to be involved however. Nyota rested a hand on his arm and looked up at him expectantly. He could tell she wouldn't  _truly_  mind if he did not dance with her, but she was hopeful he might. At least briefly.

Spock looked about the room. No one was paying them particular attention. There were no Vulcans in attendance save his father. He  _had_  on occasion, (five to be exact), danced at diplomatic functions when his mother had insisted. He supposed it was not unreasonable that he dance with his human wife at their wedding.

Nyota sensed his agreement before he voiced it and smiled widely.

'I am familiar with the Terran waltz as my mother insisted I learn. That is all.' He was not going to attempt anything like what some of the other dancers were doing. Many of them seemed to be simply swaying in time to the music as they engaged in light foreplay.

His wife nodded eagerly. 'My mother also insisted.'

It was not as unpleasant as he had feared. The music was too loud but it was one of the less offensive compositions currently popular in federation space. Nyota smiled and he felt her happiness. She did not attempt to kiss him or behave in a manner that was at all suggestive. The elaborate robe she wore over her dress flared out with her movements in a manner that was aesthetically pleasing, almost intentional. He wondered idly if perhaps pre-awakening Vulcans had danced. He supposed it likely. Perhaps traditional robes had even been designed with this in mind. It would explain several details in the lining -

Nyota giggled. 'You're abstracting on the construction of my robes.'

'Perhaps.' he admitted.

'You're supposed to be abstracting on how beautiful I am.' she returned with a smile.

He pulled her slightly closer. 'You are indeed very beautiful and I have often abstracted at great length upon this fact.'

The song ended and Nyota let Spock lead her off the dance floor. As they weaved between the twirling bodies she sent a thought to him through his fingertips.  _/Aitlu shok-tor nash-veh du. (this-one wants to kiss you.)/_  When he glanced in her direction she pouted slightly in a gesture suggestive to that which she referred to.

Spock raised an eyebrow at her.  _/ Vesht tam-tor nash-veh k'du. Shok-tor halishau i'du. (This-one danced with you. Now you demand kissing.)/_

She let go of his hand to duck under the arm of a woman in medical blue who was singing very loudly and very poorly. Looking back she smiled and reached her hand for his. Her thoughts bubbled through his fingers gleefully as soon as they touched.  _/It is Terran tradition for the newlyweds to leave the reception early./_

 _/It is?/_  An illogical thing. For those who were married to absent themselves from proceedings.

She glanced at him from beneath her lashes.  _/It is./_

Spock frowned.  _/For what purpose?/_

Nyota raised an eyebrow and shared a series of thoughts or memories with him rather than a clean concise sentence.  _/his body above her, all fever-warm skin and deep kisses, making her mad with want - making her want him closer, deeper even as he buried himself inside her -/_

Her hand jerked from his. He realised he had stopped mid-step. She looked back at him, her white teeth worrying at her bottom lip, and he could tell she was trying not to laugh. At him. She took a quite irrational pleasure in shocking him and this instance was no different. He gathered what remained of his dignity and pressed his hand into hers once more.  _/I have humoured you with regards to your other Terran traditions. I suppose I can adhere to this one as well./_

She smiled and stepped very close to him, her fingers sliding against his suggestively. 'The trick is to get away without anyone noticing us.' she whispered in his ear. He could smell her scent. She wore no perfume. The curve of her hip brushed against his thigh slightly and he knew it was no accident. She was attempted to 'fluster' him further for her own amusement. It was working.

'Given how you are dressed, that seems unlikely.' Spock remarked as calmly as possible given that Nyota  _intentionally_  blew a soft sighing breath over his ear and neck mid-sentence. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist and switched to Vuhlkansu.  _'Wife…'_  he said murmured lowly.

Of course she ignored the implicit warning behind the word and raised her free hand to press it against his chest.  _'Husband…'_  she more or less moaned into his ear.

Spock shot her a dark look. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, stared into his eyes and then glanced very pointedly down to his mouth for a moment. As she had no doubt intended, the urge to kiss her almost overwhelmed him. He swallowed. It struck him as unfair, that Nyota should wreck such havoc upon his control. It would have been much easier if he'd married a woman who didn't have the ability to torment him.

' _You torment me just as badly, I assure you.'_  she commented in his native tongue. She moved approximately 5 centimetres closer to his body so that her hip and thigh were pressed firmly against him, no longer any sort of illusion of innocence to her proximity, but he did not voice any objection. Her lips brushed against his ear as she spoke. He felt himself flush, blood rushing to his cheeks and ears as she spoke in such an inappropriate manner in public.  _'I want to kiss you._ _I want to touch you. I want –'_

He had a fair idea where her words were heading and could not bear to hear it. ' _Be silent woman!'_  he demanded.

She gasped in delight and Spock felt a surge of excitement and arousal through their bond, both at his words and at... He belatedly realised that her feet were not touching the ground. He'd wrapped an arm around her and pulled her up against him so their faces were level. Nyota's eyes were so close to his that he could make out the exact way her cosmetics had been applied and the slight variations in the golden brown of her irises. Her breath was warm and sweet with wedding cake. Her lips.. her lips were 6 centimetres – she tilted her head – 4 centimetres from his. He would not kiss her he told himself. She tormented him, but he would not kiss her. No. No he would not. But perhaps he might press his brow to hers? For a moment? Yes. He leaned forward and pressed his face to hers. She tilted her face towards him, her eyelashes fluttering against his skin and moaned softly, sweetly. Her earrings and the adornments in her hair chimed and clicked with the movement. Her hand was in his hair, her fingers curling tightly, pulling him close to her, but he was not kissing her. It was acceptable.

' _Spohkhh…'_ She was not Vulcan, she did not hide what she felt. Her tone was so blatantly  _lustful_  she might as well have propositioned him via High Kolari erotica.

' _Take me…'_ she let the sentence hang for a long moment, teasing him with the wording.  _'Take me to bed.'_

He found himself nodding. Walking. It was only when they were in a turbolift, shielded from prying eyes and he let himself relax that he realised he was still carrying her. He could not clearly recall if anyone had noted their exit. He hoped not. He supposed he should put her down, but there seemed little reason to do so now they were away from the crew.

' _Kiss me.'_  Nyota demanded, her arms tightening around his neck, but the lift doors were already cycling open.

' _No.'_  he replied. She pouted. He so rarely denied her anything he found the experience novel. Seeming to sense this, Nyota began pressing kisses against his neck and along his jaw, whispering highly suggestive phrases in between. The corridor to his quarters seemed to stretch forever, even though he knew it was only 38.5 meters from the turbolift to his door. And there were obstacles. Namely an inebriated Ensign and his paramour.

Pavel Andreievich Chekov and a  _different_  technician were kissing in an enthusiastic if not very well synchronised manner outside Lieutenant Sulu's door. 'Open!' the Ensign demanded in a rather slurred manner. _'Poshel na khuy dveri!'_ he added in what Spock recognised as his native Russian.

Nyota giggled and Spock felt her translation of the Ensign's words through their fingertips. He dismissed the concept of how a door could procreate with itself and instead slowed his pace slightly so he could speak to the Ensign as he passed him. 'That is Lieutenant _Sulu's_  door Ensign.' he informed him.

Chekov frowned but Spock was already striding past him.

' _Spasibo Komandiru!'_  Chekov yelled in thanks. Spock felt Nyota waving at the man over his shoulder. There was a loud thud and laughter, some of it from Nyota. He supposed Chekov and his female companion had fallen over. It did not interest him enough to warrant looking back.

Spock was pleased when his own door opened promptly. He carried Nyota directly to their bed. It was their bed now. Everyone aboard, everyone in the galaxy for that matter, knew exactly where Nyota Uhura slept. Beside him. He deposited her in the middle of the mattress.

She stretched back and flicked off her soft Vulcan slippers with zero regard for the tidiness of the room. One landed in the living area the other near the door to the bathroom.  _'You will have to undress me husband. It took two strong Vulcan women to get me in this thing.'_  she informed him dramatically.

Spock was not opposed to such a thing. He first removed his boots and dress jacket however.  _'Oh yes. Take off all your clothes first.'_  Nyota instructed him imperiously.

He shot her a look at her commanding tone.

She pouted at him again and began half-heartedly pulling at her  _si-san-zhel (outer-belt)_ but it would be fastened at the back not the front where she tugged. Huffing in displeasure as the garment remained unmoved she gave him a resentful look, as if it were somehow his fault.

Spock paused in the midst of removing his undershirt.  _'Do you wish for me to undress myself or to undress you my sulky Vulcan Princess?'_  he inquired knowing his illogical wording would amuse her.

'Hmmmm.' she intoned indecisively before smiling up at him.

Spock raised an eyebrow in inquiry, she clarified her response by rising up on her knees and undoing his trousers. However once she had them undone instead of pulling them down his legs she instead tugged at his underwear and freed his  _lok_. Whilst he was not displeased by this fact, he would have preferred she did not leave him half-dressed. He also estimated at least four layers of clothing lay between where his lok currently was and where it should ideally be situated.

She wrapped her left hand around him and caressed the length of him. He supposed he could forgive her. She sat down on the bed and began licking her right hand. Spock watched her in warily in a mix of desire and confusion. He was not sure what she was doing. If that were  _his_  hand she was currently licking he would be certain as to her purpose, but humans did not have as many nerve endings in the hands as a Vulcan, they did not receive the same pleasure from such stimulation.

She ceased her mystifying behaviour and proceeded to swap hands. Suddenly the hand wrapped around him was warm and wet and squeezing him tighter, faster and his hip snapped forward into her grip and he heard himself make a noise he had not intended to.

Nyota looked up at him with a darkly pleased expression. She curled her free hand around his hip and licked her lips. Spock stared in disbelief as she leant forward and  _kissed_  him. Warm wet lips parted and she licked him, swirled the flat of her tongue across the head of his  _lok._  It felt… Very good. She was looking up at him. She was indeed dressed like a Vulcan Princess, but no Vulcan woman would ever behave in such a manner. He watched as she kissed and licked him, her hand still slowly pumping along his length. The urge to pull her hands and mouth from him and tear her beautiful clothes until he could bury himself inside her was tremendous. He knew that her dress and gown were precious things however, works of art, and he also sensed that she had some goal in mind.

He grit his teeth and endured her wonderful,  _torturous_  attentions. She licked the tip of his  _lok_  again, more insistently this time. The heat and drag of her tongue made it difficult to think. Her touch was arousing him profoundly but offering no hope of release. Then she wrapped her lips around him and took him inside her mouth. Spock's breath burst from his lungs. Unexpected sensation overwhelmed him. Wet heat surrounded him. Her mouth was tight, soft and  _moving_  around him as she drew her head back then swallowed him once more, taking him much deeper this time. He was aware that he was making a whining noise. It was undignified. He did no t care.

She repeated the movement of her head, he was uncertain of how many times, too many and not nearly enough at the same time. And then she began working the base of him with her hand. It was a struggle to keep his hips still. Then she sucked and moved her tongue beneath him. Spock shouted and shoved a hand around her face powerless to stop his hips from pressing forward against her in sharp jerking movements. She hummed or moaned a warning and the vibration of her vocalisation had his seed spurting down her throat as he gasped in pleasure.

He stared down at her, panting, in some sort of mild erotic shock. She was looking up at him from where he still held her against him, her lips stretched around him. He could feel her mild discomfort at keeping her jaw so far open, but overwhelmingly he could feel how  _pleased_ she was with herself. He released his grip on her. She slowly pulled her head back and he felt her lips and tongue tightening around him as she did so. He realised it was so his seed would remain in her mouth. She swallowed and Spock found himself wishing he could repeat the entire process just to see her take that small action again. She wiped her mouth. Looked at him. Put her fingers in her mouth.

Spock was kissing her, tasting a mix of wedding cake and himself on her. She clutched at him, wrapping arms and legs around him, but she was wearing _so_  much clothing he could barely feel her. He ran through a breathing exercise. Twice. He was able to pull himself from her. She whined as his lips left hers.  _'Stand up.'_  he ordered her as he dragged her to her feet.

He spun her and undid the belt of her robe. Let it fall to the floor. She shrugged out of the long robe and they ignored it as it pooled at her feet. Her dress took longer. There was a line of fastenings running from high on her neck all the way down to her backside. It was an exercise in patience to undo the little buttons. Nyota did not help matters. She reached back and ran her fingers and hands over whatever parts of him she could reach and ground her body suggestively against him.

Finally he dragged her out of the dress and she was left in her undergarments. Spock was uncertain if he was incredibly irritated or immensely pleased. She was wearing a long underskirt and above it an exceedingly elaborate traditional Vulcan corseting garment. He had no idea how to remove such a thing. Nyota let the skirt fall to the floor to join the sizable mass of abandoned clothing. She wore nothing underneath, but the novelty of what she _did_ wear distracted him from that fact. Spock ran his hands along the lines of the tightly laced garment adorning her torso. The manner in which is exaggerated the…  _femaleness_ of her figure was… intriguing. Her breath caught with the movements and she swayed slightly, tilting her face towards his to kiss him. 

Spock contemplated pushing her onto the bed, but by the time he had his arms wrapped around her and his mouth pressed against hers, it seemed more expedient to simply lift her and wrap her around him. She hummed her approval into his kisses and then moaned with more purpose when his lok rubbed against her folds, parted them, spread her wetness along the line of her body. When he entered her she made a strangled gasping noise and panted his name against his neck.

He took her as he pleased. She clung to him and made wonderful human noises. The heat and tightness of her, the smell of her skin and the reflection of her pleasure through their bond and through his fingers threatened to drown him in pleasure. He shifted his grip on her hips and she gasped loudly as he pushed against that part inside her which brought her most pleasure. He clenched his jaw as she made distinctive vocalisations - variations upon his name, references to an un-named deity and pleading commands for _faster,_   _more, harder_  all delivered in a pigeon of Vulcan, standard and Swahili - and dug fingernails into his skin. Spock could feel the imminent approach of her climax and increased the force and pace of his movements against her accordingly, the tight heat of her sex beginning to flex and flutter around him. One. Two. Three. She came on the fourth stroke, her body rippling around him and her pleasure echoing through him in a mad wave of sensation. He gasped, felt the heat spread through him in a manner that was almost painful and shoved himself up into her so he could come deep inside her. She made a decadent, rapturous noise and kissed him roughly.

His leg muscles were strained. He turned and sat on their bed. Nyota pressed soft kisses to his shoulder, his neck and along his cheek. She was whispering. She was calling him 'beloved', apparently in every language she spoke. He estimated it would take some time for her to exhaust her repertoire. He pressed his face against her shoulder but pulled back after only a moment. She was still wearing all her jewellery. Heavy Vulcan pieces. They were in the way. Her hair was also still braided and wrapped around a headdress. This was unsuitable since he wanted to bury his fingers in it. Also, he did not think the current arrangement suitable for sleep. Which, eventually, he would allow her.

She smiled into his skin and stopped saying 'beloved' and started saying 'husband'. He undid the necklaces and pulled the ornaments from her hair as she continued her murmuring. He eyed the headdress warily, uncertain how to remove it. Nyota reached up and did something and it was suddenly in two pieces, her hair falling free around her, releasing the scent of her shampoo. Spock buried his face against the long strands and inhaled deeply. He would freely admit an illogical attachment to his wife's hair. It was cool, silken and smelled wonderful. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into her embrace. He could feel her blissful happiness and contentment humming softly along the bond between them. That  _he_  made her feel such things filled him with a reflected happiness quite unlike any other sort of satisfaction he'd ever experienced. In a fit of sentimentality he pressed his brow to hers and whispered illogical endearments to her.  _'Taluhk-veh, ashal-khio'ri, ashayam.' (cherished-one, darling-star, beloved)_

The happiness he felt from her bubbled and fizzed and she smiled and pressed kisses to him.  _'Ashal-khio'ri._ ' she repeated. 'I like that one. I think I will insist you refer to me exclusively by it.'

'Exclusively?' he inquired.

'Exclusively.' she replied.

He paused. 'I am uncertain if referring to you as "Lieutenant Darling-star" whilst we are on duty would be entirely appropriate.' 

She giggled and hummed. 'Perhaps not. The Captain's reaction would be amusing however. Especially if I in turn called you "Commander Darling-husband".'

Spock raised an eyebrow and pulled back to meet her eye. 'Were you to do so, he would undoubtedly insist you refer to him as 'Captain Darling-Kirk.'

Nyota snorted in amusement. 'If the entire crew called him that, I'd play along.' She paused and looked down for a moment.  'Now, have you any idea how this thing comes off?' She gestured at the corseting garment. 'It's lovely, but I'd like to be able to breathe again at some point.'

'I must admit my unfamiliarity.' Spock admitted. 'I am willing to provide assistance however.' He wrapped his left hand around her waist and slid the right up along the line of her spine. 'A thorough visual inspection should reveal the particulars of the construction of the garment.'

It took much longer for them to puzzle out the fastenings on the corset than the rest of her clothing, but Nyota seemed to enjoy the process.


	19. Chapter 19

**Kirk**

'Engineering reports ready for departure Captain.' Spock informed him blandly as Jim made his way across the bridge.

'Thank you Mr Spock.' he replied scanning the rest of the bridge crew.

There was a quiet flurry of activity as the crew poured over their consoles going through the standard pre-launch checks. From experience Jim knew they needed a little longer. The bridge took on a quiet stillness once checks were completed and everyone was ready for departure. He'd wait a minute.

His head spun a little as he took his seat. He'd have to go harass Bones for a painkiller hypo at some point. Too much champagne. He glanced at the svelte, gorgeous, tragically  _married_  woman at his communications console. Her mother Ambassador Uhura had been a bad influence on him. She was by far the most amusing diplomat he'd ever met. Jim wondered if Uhura was as charming when she let her hair down. He didn't think he'd be in position to find out any time soon.

The Lieutenant treated him with cool professionalism for the most part. She'd never completely forgiven him for the things he'd said during the Nero situation. He couldn't blame her. He'd used her father's death to try and make her husband have a metal breakdown. And if that wasn't enough, Spock guarded her, (and her hair – up or down), jealously. He'd left  _bite-marks_  on her neck like a goddamn teenager for god's sake. Jim glanced at his oh so cool and logical First Officer and smirked. He couldn't wait for the opportunity to point out casually that Vulcan's  _purred_ at some point. Sulu and McCoy would be delighted to provide back up to his claim no doubt.

In comparison to her daughter, Ambassador Uhura had been very friendly... once she'd had a few glasses of champagne. She'd shared several flutes with him at the reception the night before and told him hilarious anecdotes, including a few about Spock and Uhura - which of course he'd memorised and like the whole purring thing - was saving for a special occasion. (The one about Tamu returning from a function in Nairobi to find a trail of her daughter's clothing leading from the front porch to her bedroom was his personal favourite. He couldn't wait for the opportunity to use that little story to mortify his First Officer.)

The African goddess at his communications console had turned to regard him with those big dark eyes of her. Jim restrained the urge to sigh like a schoolboy. 'Vulcan Command is hailing us Captain.' she informed him.

'On screen Lieutenant.' he replied straightening in his chair and tugging at his uniform.

He was glad he did. Instead of a stuffy sub-commander, Administrator Sarek himself appeared on the viewscreen.

'Captain Kirk.' he greeted evenly.

Jim had a sudden,  _terrible,_  recollection of dancing with Lady Amanda the evening before. It had been after Spock had done an impersonation of a caveman and practically carried Uhura off over his shoulder. The crew had made rude and amusing toasts to the departed couple and Jim had perhaps been a little too enthusiastic with the saurian brandy. As if from a great distance he heard his own slurred words,  _'You smell really good Lady 'manda.',_ heard Spock's mom laugh and remembered looking up and finding himself on the receiving end of an Arctic Vulcan Death Glare even Spock would have had trouble matching courtesy of Ambassador Sarek.

Oh god.

Jim swallowed, his throat suddenly dry and his headache ten times worse.

'Administrator Sarek!' he replied, too loudly, too cheerfully. His hand wouldn't behave and it took him two tries to get the stupid Vulcan salute going on. 'Live long and prosper.'

Sarek raised an eyebrow and returned the gesture. 'Peace and long life.' Ooohh shit. He sounded extra frosty. Dammit! Why did he have to be such a flirt? And perhaps more importantly, why did Spock's mom have to be a babe?

'To what do we owe the pleasure Administrator?' Jim inquired only slightly nervously.

'To inform you that the citizens of New Vulcan who perpetrated an attack upon members of your crew have this morning been tried and sentenced for their crimes as per Federation Law. Full records of proceedings will be forwarded to Starfleet Command.'

Jim nodded, tried to look serious when in reality he was overwhelmed with relief at the official nature of the conversation. 'Thank you Administrator. The Admiralty will be pleased the situation was resolved so amicably.'

Sarek nodded briefly, his hand rising in the Vulcan salute again. 'Live long and prosper Captain Kirk.'

Before Jim could respond he heard Uhura's voice.

'Pardon me Administrator,' she said before glancing at him, 'Captain.' She stood and was hesitantly crossing the bridge.

Jim nodded and waved a hand indicating she could proceed. She stopped beside the chair and regarded Sarek. 'Administrator, might I inquire as to the status of the Lady T'Pring?' she asked.

Sarek blinked. Jim couldn't really tell but thought he was maybe surprised. 'T'Pring's condition is stabilised. Lady T'Pau believes it possible she may improve.'

Uhura's eyebrows raised slightly. 'That is pleasing news.' she replied.

Sarek inclined his head slightly. 'Indeed.' he agreed blandly.

Uhura effortlessly flashed the Vulcan salute and said a long jumble of sexy alien words. Of course since she was talking Vulcan, and to her father-in-law at that, their meaning was probably as far from sexy as possible. Kirk sighed again. The woman made ferengi sound hot.

Sarek responded in kind, with absolutely zero sexiness.

Turning to return to her post Uhura nodded at him in thanks for allowing her interruption.

Kirk returned it then turned back to the viewscreen. He gave Sarek a polite smile. 'Live long and prosper Administrator.'

The Vulcan nodded. 'Captain.' he offered coolly.

The transmission cut. Kirk sighed. Sarek was not his biggest fan at the moment. That much was plain. He spun in his chair to face Spock who was monitoring his console sedately. 'What, no words of farewell for your ol' pops Mr Spock?' he asked, teasing Spock more out of habit than a real inclination.

'I bade my father farewell several hours ago captain.' Spock replied without looking up. 'To repeat the sentiment would be illogical.'

Boriingg... Kirk turned away from Spock to face front and addressed Chekov. Except Chekov wasn't in the navigator's seat. His beta shift replacement, the Andorian Ensign Shara sat in his place.

Kirk frowned. 'Where's Ensign Chekov?' he inquired.

'He is ill Captain.' the woman replied.

Jim frowned. Pavel was never sick, he was almost as mind-numbingly dedicated to his duty as Spock. 'What's wrong with him?' he asked.

'Er. I am uncertain of his precise malady Captain.' Shara replied diplomatically.

Besides her Sulu snorted.

Ah. 'Did our young Russian prodigy overindulge last night Sulu?' Jim asked.

Sulu coughed. 'Can't say Captain.'

'I would imagine Ensign Chekov is indeed suffering from quite acute alcohol poisoning.' Spock observed mildly.

Jim turned to look at him. 'Oh really? Based on what Mr Spock?'

'Based upon the fact that when Lieutenant Uhura and I encountered Ensign Chekov last night he was attempting to break into Lieutenant Sulu's quarters under the mistaken impression they were his own, despite the fact that his are located on the aft as opposed to starboard side of the ship. He was also making highly illogical comments in Russian about the supposed sexual proclivities of the aforementioned door.' Spock replied.

Uhura tittered.

Sulu was frowning. ' _That's_  why my door was on security override!' he exclaimed. 'I couldn't get the damn thing opened last night! I had to go down to deck 8 and sleep in Ensign…' he suddenly trailed off and glanced around the silent bridge.

Jim smirked. 'Please Mr Sulu. Continue, I'm sure the rest of the bridge crew are just as intrigued as I am about your sleeping arrangements.'

'I for one am content in my ignorance.' Spock chimed in. 'And I would remind you Captain that Engineering have been standing by for departure for 6.2 minutes.'

Jim sighed. Spock was definitely back to his usual, boring, kill-joy self. He almost missed insane purring tiger Spock. 'You married the most gorgeous woman in Starfleet yesterday. Shouldn't you be a little bit more relaxed Commander?'

Gaila sniffed from her position next to Uhura. ' _Second_  most gorgeous.' She corrected, fluffing her red hair and wiggling in her seat. Hm. That was debatable Jim supposed. And there was also Janice Rand to consider... Still. Gaila shouldn't interrupt him like that. They were on duty.

'Ensign U'Aidat.' he warned.

Gaila pouted. 'It's  _McCoy_ Captain.' she proclaimed. 'Ensign  _McCoy_.'

Jim noticed Sulu roll his eyes before the helmsman turned his chair back to face forwards.

Uhura's shoulders were shaking like she was laughing but she kept her face down towards her console and Jim couldn't be sure.

He blinked. Well. Okay then. Bones and Gaila hanging off each other last night was clearly more than it seemed. Whatever. He wasn't going to try and understand whatever the hell was going on there.

'I must point out that I did not in fact marry 'the most gorgeous woman in Starfleet' - ' Spock said.

'Second!' Gaila called out more pointedly and was again ignored.

'- as you put it yesterday, but 14.2 months ago.' Spock concluded. 'And I am unsure as to why marriage would 'relax' me as you put it in any rate.'

'He means all the sex Commander.' Gaila stage whispered across the bridge.

Uhura whacked her. ' _Gaila!'_  she hissed.

Jim sighed and covered his face with his hands. 'I know we are the youngest bridge crew in Starfleet people, but  _goddammit_ , could we act with a _little_  more professionalism!'

'Not just the youngest Captain, we're also the best looking.' Gaila pointed out cheerfully. 'There was a poll at Starfleet Headquarters.'

Jim gave her a look. 'You are just  _super_ helpful this morning Ensign  _McCoy.'_

She grinned happily at him. 'Thank you sir!'

Spock raised an eyebrow. Jim could sense a lecture. He held up a hand. 'No Mr Spock. Don't say anything.' Jim said.

He sighed and glanced over the gleaming white bridge of the  _Enterprise._ 'My navigator is too hung over to report for duty, even though he's  _underage_ , my helmsman's a swashbuckling don juan, my first officer knocked up my chief communications officer – '

' _Captain!'_  Uhura called out indignantly. Jim ignored her. It was true after all.

' – my chief medical officer got high and married the only Orion bridge officer in Starfleet - the Admiralty are going to  _love_ that…' he muttered. They'd blame  _him_ no doubt. Somehow.

'I'm pregnant!' Gaila exclaimed.

Jim fell silent and turned to stare at her, along with everyone else on the bridge. Gaila smiled widely. 'Leonard and I are going to have a  _baby!_  Just like Nyota and Spock!' she said. 'They are going to be  _best friends_!'

Uhura was biting her bottom lip and laughing silently, exchanging looks with Spock who looked, as usual, confused, slightly disturbed and a little like he'd just gotten a whiff of something unpleasant.

Jim groaned. ' _Great.'_

'It is the responsibility of the Captain to maintain discipline and order amongst his crew by setting an example for his officers to follow.' Spock blandly recited from the Starfleet Code.

Jim raised his head and glared at him. He just raised an eyebrow, daring Jim to contradict him.

'What are you implying Mr Spock.' he demanded.

'Merely that I am certain that as you gain experience as a Captain, your crew will in turn grow to reflect that fact sir.' Spock replied. Jim couldn't tell if he was actually attempting to cheer him up or mocking him. It was impossible to tell with a Vulcan. 'On an unrelated note, my mother wished to express her enjoyment of your  _charming_  company last night and her hope you will return and visit. She claims you do something called a 'tango' very well.'

Jim spluttered. Mocking. Definitely mocking. He could hear Sulu choking on laughter down at the helm. He glared at Spock and spun his chair forward.

'Ensign Shara!' he called.

'Yessir?'

'Is our course laid in?'

'Aye sir.'

'Mr Sulu, warp factor 6.'

'Warp factor 6 sir.' Sulu confirmed breathlessly, his hands adjusting his controls.

'Engage.' Jim ordered.

Sulu's hands shifted, an overlay timer appeared on the viewscreen for a three second quick-launch, and then the stars elongated and the  _Enterprise_  bent space around her.

Jim ignored the tittering and whispering coming from the communications console and the smug Vulcan silence coming from his First Officer.


	20. Epilogue

 

****Nyota** **

  
  


'I need a name guys!' Jim exclaimed with a wide smile. He was standing next to the ship's intercom near the door of the room.

'T'Vai.' Spock replied softly from where he sat behind Nyota on the biobed.

She nodded in agreement and reached down to run a finger along  _their_   _daughter's_ adorable little upturned eyebrows. She couldn't stop smiling.  _'_ T'Vai Chemesunde.' She whispered in awe of the tiny little thing she and Spock had made. T'Vai meant 'holy' and considering the miraculous circumstances behind her birth Nyota thought it appropriate. Chemesunde meant 'born in the darkness of a moonless night'. The most accurate Swahili moniker she and her mother could find for someone born in deep space.

'That's a beautiful name Uhura,' Kirk said. 'but I might just stick with T'Vai.' He cleared his throat as he fiddled with the intercom console.

'Attention all hands, this is the Captain speaking. It's my great pleasure to inform you that Commander Spock and Lieutenant Uhura are now the proud parents of beautiful baby girl named T'Vai. Our congratulations to them both.'

Nyota gave Jim a smile as he finished the announcement. He flicked off the intercom. 'I'm getting pretty good at those. How many is it now?'

'You have announced the births of seven children over the last 8.3 weeks.' Spock replied distractedly, referring to the children conceived as a result of the  _Enterprise's_  stop over at Omicron Ceti 3.

'Lucky number seven!' Jim commented as he crossed the room to stand near the bed and look down at T'Vai again. He grinned and wiggled his fingers above her face. 'Wow. I can't get over how damn  _cute_  she is.' he remarked.

As if she could tell they were talking about her T'Vai screwed up her face and sneezed. It was possibly the cutest thing that Nyota had ever seen. Cuter than a kitten. Cuter than a tribble. She squeezed Spock's hand and turned to smile at him.

'I believe my daughter is allergic to you Captain.' Spock said.

Kirk rolled his eyes.

'Knock knock!' Gaila called from the doorway.

Nyota gave her a smile. 'Come and see Gai!' she said.

Gaila skipped across the room. 'Move it Kirk, it's Aunty Gaila's turn.'

Spock raised an eyebrow. Nyota felt him restrain the urge to point out that Gaila was not in fact, T'Vai's aunt, that Zanta Uhura was.

Kirk stood and backed away to give Gaila room. The Orion perched on the side of the bed and leaned over the bundle in Nyota's arms.

She made a soft squealing noise. 'Oh my god Ny! She's too cute!' Gaila looked up at Nyota. 'Can I hold her?'

Nyota shared a glance with Spock. He nodded minutely. Carefully Nyota lifted T'Vai and handed her to Gaila. Her friend tucked the baby against herself expertly, rocking back and forth and making cooing noises. Seeing her crazy friend behaving so  _maternally_  was still bizarre.

Nyota leaned back into the warm solid wall of Vulcan behind her. Spock tightened the arm that he had wrapped around her. She blinked sleepily. She couldn't remember when she'd last been so  _tired._  She spent the next few minutes watching Kirk and Gaila staring down at her daughter and gushing over her.

She was jerked from a light doze by Doctor McCoy's voice. 'No. You  _can't_  have another one Gaila.'

Nyota looked up. McCoy was holding his own daughter and looking at Gaila with a dour expression on his face. 'And you can't just dump the one you've already got on me when I'm on duty.'

He crossed to stand next to her. 'Here, swap.' he said, but Kirk inserted himself and proclaimed 'I'll take her!'

McCoy shrugged and passed Kirk his daughter before taking T'Vai from Gaila. He put her down in the crib, carefully arranging her blankets and checking her vitals with his hand held scanner as he did so.

Jim was now making googly noises at Elia McCoy. 'Don't worry green-bones, you're  _just_  as cute as little miss vulcan-lite over there.' he said.

Gaila rolled her eyes and shared a commiserating look with Nyota with regards to Kirk's terrible nicknames. Vulcan-lite. It sounded like a beer.

McCoy approached Nyota and peered down at her. 'Time for you to get some shut eye I think little lady.' He looked over his shoulder towards Kirk and continued in a dry voice. 'That's if we can convince the broodiest Captain in Starfleet to leave medbay for five minutes of course.'

Kirk frowned fiercely. 'I am not  _broody._ ' he spluttered indignantly, rocking the happily gurgling Elia in his arms automatically. Skilfully.

Gaila snorted.

Kirk glared at her.

'Sure you aren't.' McCoy replied sceptically.

Kirk huffed and looked over at Nyota and Spock. 'Congratulations again Spock, Uhura. I'm headed back to the bridge.'

Gaila tittered as he exited the room.

McCoy sighed. 'Jim!' he called out.

Kirk reappeared. 'What?'

McCoy raised an eyebrow. 'You forgetting something there Captain?'

Kirk frowned. 'Huh?'

'It would appear that your earlier observation as to the Captain's 'broodiness' was quite accurate Doctor.' Spock remarked.

Gaila crossed the room and pointedly retrieved her daughter from Kirk's arms. He looked down at the child in shock and blushed bright red. He'd clearly forgotten he'd been holding her.

McCoy smirked. 'You can't have her. Get your own Jim. Lord knows you've had enough practice in the  _how._ '

Kirk scowled at his friend before stalking from the room.

Gaila pointed a radiant smile towards Nyota as she moved to follow him. 'I'll come see you later Ny!'

Nyota nodded. McCoy checked the display above her biobed briefly. 'Right. Get some sleep.' He looked over her shoulder at Spock. 'Feel free to stick around Commander. Buzz me or Chapel if you need anything.'

'Thank you doctor.' Spock replied. His chest vibrated against Nyota's back with his words. She sighed, turning slightly to her side to rest her face against him and twisted a hand in his uniform. Across the room she heard the door slide shut behind McCoy.

She was so tired… but... 'Fetch T'Vai adun?' she pleaded.

Spock shifted, carefully extracting himself from where he had been perched for the last few hours and gently lowered Nyota to recline into the pillows. She frowned slightly. They were far less comfortable than her husband. She watched bleary-eyed as Spock bent over T'Vai's crib. He reached down and lifted her with utmost care. He did not return to her immediately, instead he stood for a minute, silently staring down at the child in his arms.

'Spock.' Nyota called, reminding him gently of her presence.

He crossed the room and passed her their daughter. Nyota stared down at her smiling. She was so…

'Fascinating.' Spock supplied for her.

Yes. That was the word. Nyota couldn't stop staring at her. She was endlessly  _fascinating._  Every tiny detail about her seemed amazing. Perfect. Nyota pulled back T'Vai's blanket and pressed her index finger against one of her tiny little perfect hands. Her daughter gripped her fingertip instinctively and looked up at her. 'She's so beautiful.' Nyota remarked. 'I… I can't believe she's ours.' It was hard to believe she was  _real_  let alone  _theirs._

Spock was silent for a moment before he gingerly he reached down and let T'Vai grip his finger. Nyota felt his surprise. He looked at her with a strange expression on his face.

'Nyota.' he said and extended his free hand towards her in with fingers outstretched.

Curious she pressed her fingers to his. She felt the same wonder and happiness she'd felt from him since the moment T'Vai had been born and they'd sudden had a daughter, but something else as well. Spock wordlessly pulled at her thoughts and she gasped. It was T'Vai. She could feel their baby's strange, warm little…  _baby_ thoughts through Spock's fingers.

She blinked rapidly and stared at him, stricken with what she felt. Spock was likewise afflicted.

'She is a touch telepath.' he remarked, turning to stare at their daughter once more. ' _She reaches to me.'_  he added in Vulcan. He sounded quite overwhelmed.

Nyota looked down at T'Vai again. They were uncertain of how her mixed heritage would be presented in her. She was, as McCoy had originally said, a 50/50 genetic mix. A true half-Vulcan, not a carefully created hybrid like Spock. They hadn't been sure if she'd have the mental abilities of her father's race. Nyota was glad she did. Being able to share thoughts with Spock was a great joy to her. She was glad her daughter would be likewise gifted. She sat quietly with her fingers pressed to Spock's staring down at her. She could feel her, in the same way she could feel Spock. A Vulcan familial bond. She felt incredibly lucky, blessed. She turned her head and pressed a kiss to Spock's cheek.

'Thank you.' she said. 'I'm so very lucky.'

He raised an eyebrow, she felt his confusion.

'So very lucky to have you my ashal-adun, so very lucky to have all of this.' she continued, smiling at him even as tears welled in her eyes. Clearly her emotional weepiness due to pregnancy hadn't quite run its course yet.

'Although the concept of "luck" has no basis in fact, I too feel exceedingly satisfied and... fortunate with regards to our current circumstance.' he returned.

Nyota hummed in pleasure and agreement and rested her head against his warm shoulder, her attention drawn back by the irresistible pull of their daughter.

McCoy reported her vitals and the arrangement of her internal organs followed Vulcan norms, but she had red iron based blood and lower bone and muscle density. Physically she looked like a mix of the two of them. She had thick dark hair like Nyota's and her skin was a warm brown somewhere in-between their own skin tones, though currently flushed a reddish colour since she was only a few hours old. To Nyota's delight she had the tilted eyebrows and pointed ears of her Vulcan father but their daughter's most striking feature were her human eyes. They were of a similar shade of grey as Nyota's grandmother - common enough for a human, not nearly as rare as green or bright blue, but combined with her Vulcan features and her dark skin, it made for a very striking combination.

'She has such pretty eyes.' Nyota remarked some time later. She was having difficulty keeping her own open.

'They are indeed most unusual for a Vulcan.' Spock agreed. 'However several of my mother's relations have such colouring.'

'She's going to be gorgeous.' Nyota said. 'You're going to have to  _suss mahna_  all the boys adun.'

Spock raised an eyebrow. 'She is only 3.2 hours old. I do not think we need concern ourselves with such thoughts as of yet.'

Nyota hummed. 'What if our 'broody' captain breeds? I don't want any Kirk Jr's following our daughter around the ship.'

'An alarming prospect.' Spock admitted.

Nyota's eyelids were becoming impossibly heavy. She didn't want to put T'Vai down however. Sleep didn't seem important at all when she had her  _daughter_  to look at. Spock got to his feet and pulled her forward so he could resume his earlier seat behind her. When he had arranged himself to his satisfaction she leant back against him once more. He wrapped his arms around her and took over holding their daughter

Nyota sighed in contentment. Spock was so  _warm_  and she was so  _tired._  She huffed into the material of his uniform and let her eyes close.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the story ends, and we drown in a sea of sap and fluff since that's how I roll.  
> Apparently. As a storyteller.
> 
> My formula seems to be as follows: Spock having deep vulcany thoughts, humans making bad jokes, smut, angst, someone getting their butt kicked by Spock, more angst, more smut, more bad jokes and then as Lamb once put it: 'a fluffy bunny ending'. 
> 
> MASSIVE thank you to Lamb's Ear for beta'ing my last two stories for me, for braving the typos and forgotten plot points to bring you better stories. I added maybe, 10,000 words to this fic based off her suggestions, so thanks lambykins!
> 
> Also thank you to everyone who reviewed on this site, you are all so lovely. Comment alerts from AO3 don't give me panic attacks unlike FF.net ones sometimes do, cause you are all so darn friendly!
> 
> I have two other stories set in this universe that I've written, the Sarek / Amanda story that I wrote aggeesss ago and which is giving me LE PAIN since I don't want it to be an S/U with different names, and a short story about Spock and Uhura's son that I'll be posting at some stage. (A story I wrote for my own amusement since I always imagined Spock and Uhura having a BAMF black Vulcan hybrid son, you know, like Tuvok but prone to punching people and being sexy ala Spock.) I also have vaaaague intentions of writing a short story about T'Vai. And a Romulan. And some dancing Klingons. Maybe.
> 
>  
> 
> xx Val
> 
> ps. If you are drying for more S/U action, if you haven't read them, I highly recommend PoorQueequeg's fics.


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